


Storm Hawks: Beginnings

by AngstyThermostat



Category: Storm Hawks (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Asexual Character, Awkward Sexual Situations, Before Battle, Before Storm Hawks, Best Friends, Betrayal, Canonical Character Death, Cute, Dark Ace - Freeform, Developing Relationship, Dysfunctional Family, Epic Battles, Established Relationship, Family Drama, Family Issues, Fantasy, Fate & Destiny, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Flying, Friends to Enemies, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Kidnapping, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Mild Sexual Content, Minor Character Death, Multi, Near Death Experiences, Original Character Death(s), Prophecy, Relationship(s), Romance, Romantic Fluff, Secrets, Sexual Content, Slow Romance, Storm Hawks - Freeform, Strong Female Characters, Teamwork, War, You know how it will end, baby aerrow, jerk move, storm hawks origins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:13:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 29
Words: 56,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26130088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngstyThermostat/pseuds/AngstyThermostat
Summary: Storm Hawks may have an origins episode, but there are still decades of history missing from the picture. How did Lightning Strike become a Skyknight? What was Aerrow's mother like? What was Atmos like before the massive battle that almost tore it apart?This story takes its readers back almost twenty years to a small terra with a new squadron, where a young farm boy will get the chance of a lifetime: to become the greatest of all Skyknights and prevent Cyclonia from returning to its former glory days.This story hopes to answer all the questions that "Origins" failed to.
Relationships: Lightning Strike/Original Character





	1. Lightning Strike Pt 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally posted to Wattpad under my account, Emi427. To avoid any confusion (and possible accusations of plagiarism), please refer to my Emi427 profile on Wattpad for confirmation that I am the original author and chose to share this story over multiple platforms.

The sun always rose on the East side of Terra Sparrow. It was a mostly flat terra with lush trees and fauna. The weather was warm and comfortable for three seasons and dropped to freezing during the winter. There was only one village, but it was relatively large, with cobblestone streets worn smooth by many feet and wheels passing over it. The buildings were made of stone, each built sturdy and strong. To the west of the village lay a field of golden wheat. To the East was a large strawberry patch. For a boy who would later become a legend, this was home.

This young boy, barely the age of fifteen, woke at the crack of dawn to help plow part of the wheat fields. Farming was all the boy did, from the time the sun came up to when the sun came down. However, this boy was anxious to get his work done. Today was a very important day. He wiped his forearm across his brow. He’d only been out here for a few hours and already the heat was making him sweat. He stared ahead to observe his work: only three rows to go.

“Lightning!” A voice bellowed from the back porch of a house near the edge of the field. A tall man with the build of an athlete stood in the doorway, his brown hair still visible from a hundred feet away, even with its grey streaks.

“Yeah Dad?” The boy replied.

“Hurry it up! We’ve got a new shipment of fertilizer that needs to be put down before we can start seeding.” The boy puffed out a breath, making his red hair lift into the air and fall back down on his forehead. He’d never get done in time.

“Yeah, sure Dad,” Lighting called out. He went back to plowing the field. When he had finished, he joined his father in their storehouse. It was wooden structure the size of a small barn that housed all their equipment. Lightning found his father, now wearing his weaved sunhat, lifting a bag of fertilizer over his shoulder. He winced in pain as he picked up the bag.

“Let me get those,” Lightning said, trying to pull the bag out of his father’s hand. He kept a firm grip.

“I ain’t crippled, boy,” his father snapped. “I’m just as healthy as a sprout of spring grass.” Lighting sighed and hefted a different bag onto his shoulder. All the heavy lifting and farm work had made him into a strong young gentleman. He wished he could be using his strength for fighting the unjust and protecting the people he loved. He didn’t really want the fame, just the feeling of doing what was right. But if he were stuck here on his father’s wheat farm for the rest of his life, he knew he’d never get the chance.

“Uh, you know what today is, right?” Lighting said to his father as they carried the bags out to the field.

“Tuesday?” his father asked. “Why? You waitin’ on something?”

“Uncle Arlo is coming to visit,” Lightning said proudly. Lightning’s uncle was the leader of the Storm Hawks Squadron, a relatively new group to the Skyknight scene. This squadron didn’t protect a specific terra; they just showed up wherever they were needed. Most of their family and kin resided on Terra Sparrow.

“Arlo is a scatterbrained imbecile,” his father said. “We talked about this before. All he does is get himself into trouble.”

“Dad, he protects our Terra,” Lighting said, trying to explain.

“And last week he almost got himself killed!” his father said. “Those Cyclonians are monsters, I tell you. All they’re out to do is cause trouble.”

“If I were a Skyknight, I wouldn’t be causing trouble,” Lightning muttered.

“Well _you_ _ain’t_ one,” his father snapped. “I ain’t lettin’ my son turn into one of those big-headed snobs.”

“But Dad, they’re heroes,” Lightning said, defending himself.

“They’re _idiots_ , that’s what they are,” his father snapped. “Now drop it boy. I won’t have no more of this Skyknight nonsense.”

Lightning lowered his head in defeat and continued to sprinkle the fertilizer into the dark soil.

***

Later, when his hands were covered in a layer of dirt and he’d sweated through his shirt, Lightning bounded up the back porch of the farmhouse. Right inside a woman was making fresh-squeezed lemonade. She wore a simple shirt and pants and a faded apron over her clothes. Her features were small and sharp and her auburn hair was pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck.

“Aw man, I’m parched,” Lighting said, reaching for a glass in the cabinet. When he extended his hand toward the pitcher of yellow liquid, his mother swatted his hand away.

“Lighting Strike, where are your manners?” she scolded.

“Uh, _please_ may I have some lemonade?” Lightning asked. His mother smiled warmly and poured some lemonade into his glass. He gulped it down hastily and let out a breath.

“ _Ah_ , thanks Ma,” he said, setting his glass on the kitchen counter. He whipped around and headed for the stairs.

“ _Excuse me_?” his mother said, stopping him in his tracks. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Uh, upstairs?” Lightning said questionably.

“We don’t leave our dirty dishes on the counter, Lighting,” his mother said. Lighting groaned and walked back to the kitchen. He placed his cup in the sink and darted back towards the stairs.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” his mother asked.

“Uncle Arlo’s comin’ home today!” Lighting called over his shoulder. He washed up and changed into a fresh-clean shirt. Then he pulled a box out from under his bed. He opened the lid and carefully lifted the fabric to reveal a two-pronged sword. Lightning had been tinkering on this weapon all summer, hoping that one day his uncle would let him tag along on one of his adventures. He loved listening to his uncle tell tales of his feats and journeys fighting Cyclonians and beasts in the sky. Lightning would give anything to join him in the sky.

He pulled the sword out of the box and spun around, flipping the sword about like a toy. He’d been practicing sparring with a few other boys on the farm using garden rakes. But as he gripped the handle of his blade in his hands, he felt powerful. He reached into a bag in the sword box and wrapped his hand around a cold, cut stone. He pulled out the stone, revealing a light-blue glowing crystal- a striker crystal. Lightning had won it in a bet against another village boy. He had always been clever when it came to gambling. He plugged the stone into the base of the sword, and instantly the blade began to glow brilliant neon blue.

Suddenly there was a commotion outside his room. Lightning went to the window to see people on the streets tilting their heads towards the sky. He could hear the whistling sound of the Condor’s engines as the mighty airship soared over the terra. His whole house shook as the ship flew overhead, heading for its landing spot near the edge of the village. Lightning pulled the crystal out of the sword and put it in his pocket as he dashed out his bedroom door. He flew down the stairs and was out the door before his mother could even turn her head. All across the streets people were rushing towards the ship. Lightning darted his way through the crowd with a firm grip on his sword. The striker crystal banged against his leg inside his pocket.

“Hey! Watch it!” a voice called out behind him. Lightning turned to see a girl carrying a crate across the sidewalk. He’d almost knocked right into her, but luckily he had his lightning-fast reflexes.

“Watch where you’re going, Lightning,” the girl snapped. She was very thin and shorter than Lightning, with light brown hair and piercing emerald-green eyes. She glared at Lightning, who returned the expression with a grin.

“Sorry Omorose,” he said politely. “Got carried away.”

“Hm,” Omorose said, unamused. She shifted the crate in her hands.

“Don’t’ get too beautiful, Rose” Lightning said, still grinning. “You’ll distract someone.” Omorose rolled her eyes.

“Don’t get to cocky Lightning,” she said with a smirk. “You’ll run into someone.” The redheaded boy laughed and continued down the street.

***

The town square was occupied by almost the entire village when Lightning arrived. He could see the loading ramp had been lowered from the belly of the ship. Everyone was cheering and shouting, up on their toes in hopes of spotting their heroes. Lightning weaved his way through the crowd, searching for the familiar faces he’d looked up to since he was small.

“Lightning! There you are!” said a voice to his right. Lightning turned fast as his name to see a broad-shouldered redhead wearing a dark blue and brown uniform.

“Uncle Arlo!” Lightning said enthusiastically. He ran over to his uncle and held his palm up. The redheads high-fived each other and then got carried away in a mixture of hand motions and fist-bumps. After their elaborate handshake, both of them laughed.

“It’s so nice to see you!” Arlo said. Thin wrinkles outlined his smile and eyes. “He looked over lightning’s shoulder. “Where’s Ma and Pa?”

“They’re back at the house,” Lightning said, motioning over his shoulder with his thumb. “You know how Dad is.” Arlo grinned widely, just the same as his nephew.

“Yeah, I do,” he said. He noticed the sword in Lightning’s hand. “What’s that you got there?”

“Oh this?” Lightning said, holding up his sword. “This is nothing. It’s just a sword I made.”

“Just a sword?” Arlo asked. He made a motion with his hands. “May I?” Lightning handed over his sword and his uncle examined it. “This is some beautiful craftsmanship. Where’d you learn to do this?”

“My friend’s a blacksmith, and taught me a few things,” Lightning shrugged.

“This is amazing, it truly is,” Arlo said, returning Lightning’s sword to him.

“Yeah, I just wish Dad thought so,” Lightning said.

“He’s still digging the Skyknight idea into the dirt?” Arlo asked.

“Yeah, he thinks the second I step foot off of the terra Cyclonians will capture me and torture me.”

“Well, Cyclonians aren’t something you want to be messing around with,” Arlo explained. “But you’re a good fighter with a good mind.” He threw his arm around Lightning’s shoulder and began to steer him away from the crowd. “Let’s drop in and say hello. I bet I can try to change his mind. Third time’s the charm!”

Lightning’s mother opened the door and gave Arlo a warm smile.

“It’s great to see you Arlo,” she said. He kissed her cheek.

“You too, Lissie,” he said. “Where’s Caludius?”

“He’s out by the barn,” Lissie said. “Where he always is.”

“Why did I even ask?” Arlo said with witty sarcasm. He and Lightning proceeded to the barn out in the backyard. Here Claudius was fanning himself with his frayed straw hat, sitting on a bale of hay.

“Claudius! My brother!” Arlo said enthusiastically, walking over to his older brother to give him a whack on the back. “How’s the farm holding up?”

“Better than your brain has been,” Claudius said, glaring at the Skyknight in his bold uniform. Arlo laughed.

“Hey, I figured I’d stop by for dinner tonight,” Arlo said. “Is that alright with you and Lissie?”

“Just as long as you don’t go on and on ‘bout fighting Cyclonians,” Claudius huffed as he stood up. “I don’t want you filling my boy’s head with stupid things like that no more.”

***

Dinner went smoothly that night. Lightning continuously pestered Arlo to tell him stories of his adventures, but Claudius would always cut him off and change the subject.

“You know, the real reason I came back here wasn’t just to tell stories,” Arlo said.

“Good ‘cause I might have had to make you leave,” Claudius spat from across the table.

“Claudius, please,” Lissie said, trying to calm her husband.

“It’s alright,” Arlo said. “I wanted to ask your permission for Lightning to join my squadron.” Suddenly the scraping of forks against the plates disappeared and the entire room fell silent.

“We been over this before Arlo, the answer is no,” Claudius said. His face was turning red with anger.

“Just listen,” Arlo said. He motioned to Lightning. “This boy here is practically an adult. I think he deserves to make his own decisions.”

“You ain’t the boy’s father!” Claudius shouted.

“And all you’re doing is tying him down to the farm,” Arlo argued.

“I’m keepin’ him around ‘cause he’s better off here than he ever would be out there on an airship!” Claudius retaliated. “All you want is another team member. You ain’t even thinking of the boy’s safety.”

“You don’t think I’d keep him safe?” Arlo argued.

“You can’t keep Cyclonians from killin’ him,” Claudius spat.

“I can train him so he can defend himself,” Arlo said.

“And in the meantime, what’s he gonna do?” Claudius asked.

“Claudius, Arlo, please!” Lissie cried out, quieting the room again. “Lightning is old enough to make his own decisions now.”

“What? Now you’re siding with him?” Claudius said.

“I’m not siding with him,” Lissie said, defending herself. “I’m looking at things logically. Lightning’s been dreamin’ of being a Skyknight since he was born. There ain’t nobody out there I’d trust to take him under their wing more than I’d trust Arlo.” Claudius glared at everyone at the table.

“My boy’s not going off to live on an airship,” he said finally. Lightning stood up.

“Maybe that’s what I want to do,” he said to his father. His voice grew in volume at every word. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe I don’t want to farm for the rest of my life? Did it ever occur to you that the reason I enjoy Uncle Arlo’s company more than yours is because he encourages me, instead of shooting down all my dreams?”

“All he’s doin’ is fillin’ your mind with useless nonsense!” Claudius said, standing up as well. He threw his napkin down on the table and exited the room.

“Why don’t he ever listen!?” Lightning yelled. “All he ever does is tell me that Skyknights are dumb, that they’re idiots.”

“He’s just concerned for you,” Lissie said, trying to calm her son. Lightning sat back down at the table and glanced between his mother and his uncle.

“Ma, what do I do?” he asked her.

“You do what your heart tells you, Baby,” she said, reaching across the table for his hand.


	2. Lightning Strike Pt 2

Lightning found the massive airship nestled in the open square of the town. The windows of the ship were still illuminated. He knocked on the loading hatch down below the runway, and the long ramp lowered down to the ground. Arlo appeared on the other side.

“Lightning, what are you doing over here so late?” he asked. Lightning ascended the ramp up into the airship.

“I’m comin’ with you,” he said proudly.

“Your father’s letting you come?” Arlo asked. Lightning bit his lip nervously.

“Well… he didn’t exactly say ‘no.’”

“You ran away?” Arlo said, raising his eyebrows. “Lightning, I can’t just take you with me. What would your mother think?” Lightning glanced at the metal floor. Then, quick as a bolt of lightning, an idea came to him.

“What if you train me? I’ll spend the day training with you, and then I’ll go home at the end of the day. And then, when you retire, I’ll be ready to take over.” Arlo thought carefully about his nephew’s words. It was true that Lightning Strike was the only one who could legally take over the squadron next, since Arlo didn’t have any children of his own.

“I don’t see why that couldn’t work,” Arlo said with a grin. “Alright, boy, you got yourself a deal.” They shook hands and Lightning beamed gratefully.

“Can we start tomorrow?” Lightning asked his uncle eagerly. Arlo smiled at him.

“Why not tonight?”

***

Arlo led his nephew up onto the bridge. Lightning had been in the _Condor_ before, but only when it was grounded. The rest of the crew greeted Lightning when he entered the deck. They all enjoyed his company because of his enthusiasm for Skyknights and respect for their squadron.

Ulysses was the helmsman. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man with a thick, blond beard and a mustache that curled on the ends. Despite his luscious facial hair, he didn’t have a single strand on top of his head. Next, was Simon, the short, blue-haired navigator with goggles on his head that had built-in magnifying glasses that made his eyes look twice their size. He was the best at navigation, and just a year or two older than Lightning. Boone and Conall were the main mechanics and weapons masters. Boone had long brown hair that he tied in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. Conall had short blonde hair and wore a blue bandanna around his forehead. Both men wore belts with tools hanging off of them. Boone was the master of explosives and weapons, but Conall was the best shot on the team. Edison was the crystal mage. He had curly brown hair and thick glasses that made his brown eyes look twice their size, just like Simon's goggles. Finally, there was Rex, Arlo’s right-hand man. He was the thrill-seeking daredevil of the team, with spiky black hair darker than night.

“This boy here wants to be a Skyknight,” Arlo told his team. He patted his nephew on the back. “I think we outta give him a few tips of the trade to help him out. What do you all say?”

“That sounds great!” Simon called out. All the other men smiled approvingly. Rex walked over hand held his hand out to Lightning.

“Welcome to the Storm Hawks, Kid,” he said with a wink.

***

The Storm Hawks took Lightning on a tour of the airship. He’d only been on the ship a few times before in the past, and he never realized just how big it was before. There were so many corridors and spaces inside the ship; Lightning quickly forgot that he was on a ship. He almost believed he was lost in a giant maze.

Boone and Conall boasted as they showed Lightning the hanger bay, where seven silver and blue skimmers shined in the fluorescent lighting. Edison proudly showed his crystal collection to Lightning. Lightning couldn’t believe how many crystals Edison had. Some of them, he’d never even heard of before. He told Edison about his blue striker crystal, and Edison’s eyes lit up like fireworks.

“You mean to tell me that you’ve acquired a striker crystal?” Edison said, blinking behind his thick glasses. Lightning pulled the crystal out of his pocket and handed it over. Edison held in his hand as if it were a newborn baby.

“I won it in a bet,” Lightning explained as Edison examined the crystal.

“Don’t you ever lose that crystal,” Edison warned him as he handed the crystal back. “It’s one of the rarest crystals in all of the Atmos.”

***

After the tour, the Storm Hawks took Lightning for a ride in the _Condor_ to the nearby terras, and showed him how to drive a skimmer. Lightning watched the tiny village lights of the terras glow beneath the clouds. He loved the idea of being up in the air. It made him forget about having to work at the farm tomorrow morning.

The _Condor_ landed back on Terra Sparrow. Lightning thanked all of the team members and left the ship. Arlo followed him out onto the cobblestone street.

“Tomorrow, we can do more training,” Arlo said. “Rex and I will show you a few fighting techniques that you can use.”

“I can’t thank you enough,” Lightning said, smiling at his uncle. “You really think I’ve got what it takes to be a Skyknight?”Arlo laughed.

“I wouldn’t be wasting my time with you if I thought otherwise!” he said. He started for the ship. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Lightning watched the ramp get swallowed up in the belly of the ship. He spun around and dashed for his house. The sun was almost about to rise, and his spirit rose with it.

***

Over the next few weeks, Lightning joined his uncle in the sky. The Storm Hawks taught him all they knew. Edison was eager to show Lightning his tricks with crystals, but Lightning was more interested in sword fighting. He ended up spending a lot of time with his uncle and Rex. He quickly learned his way around the ship. Conall even mentioned that he handled a skimmer better than Arlo.

Lightning’s friends began to notice his absence. They used to spend their days talking about becoming Skyknights and defeating Cyclonians. When they were younger, Lightning would lead them in imaginary battles. But now, with their leader gone, they felt as if they lost a major part of their team.

“Where have you been!?” Lightning heard a female voice shout behind him. He had been walking down the sidewalk towards the store to buy milk for his mother. When he turned, he saw a petite girl with short blonde hair scowling at him. Behind her were four boys, also Lightning’s age. One had olive-colored skin and dark blue hair. One was brunette with piercing blue eyes. The third was blonde, and the smallest boy had bright green hair the color of the grass.

“Mick! What’re you doing here?” Lightning said, greeting his female friend.

“What’ve you been up to?” the brunette boy asked. Lightning was hesitant to answer.

“I, uh, I’ve been busy,” he shrugged.

“Busy doing what?” Mickey persisted. She crossed her arms. Lightning looked around at his friends nervously.

“If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone,” Lightning said.

“What’d you do? Did you steal somethin’?” the small blonde boy asked.

“Shut up Kip, he’s not that dumb,” the brunette boy said. He pushed the blonde away.

“I didn’t steal nothin’,” Lightning said. He lowered his voice and glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “I’ve been training to be a Skyknight with my uncle.”

“Really!?” the boy with the dark blue hair asked. Lightning nodded.

“You’d never believe it Flint,” he said, sounding excited. “He’s teaching me how to fight, how to fly a skimmer, and all this stuff about crystals and how to navigate up in the sky. And when the Storm Hawks retire, he said I’m first in line to get the _Condor_!”

“Wow!” Mickey said. “You’re really gonna be a Skyknight? And your father’s ok with it?”

“Well, my father doesn’t know ‘bout all this,” Lightning said. “So you’ve got to make sure he doesn’t find out.”

***

The days went on, and Lightning taught his friends some of the things he learned. They all dreamed about being a squadron together someday, and Lightning promised them he'd do everything in his power to make it happen. Whenever his father caught him leaving the house, Lightning told him that he was going to run errands. But, soon Lightning learned he wouldn’t have the option to hide any longer.

The sun was just beginning to set on the west side of the terra. The only reason anybody could tell was because the sky was getting darker. It had been raining all day long and the clouds had covered the sky around Terra Sparrow like a grayish-white blanket. Lightning had gone to Omorose’s strawberry stand to try and charm her into visiting a town pub with her.

“I know you don’t sell strawberries at night,” Lightning said, leaning his elbow on the table. “You got any plans for this evening?”

“They sure don’t include you,” Omorose said, raising an eyebrow.

“Come on Rose, you gotta learn how to have a little fun,” Lightning said, stealing a strawberry out of the basket. As he bit into the small red fruit he pulled a coin out of his pocket and flipped it onto the table in front of Omorose. She took the coin and put it in her apron pocket.

“I have plenty of fun,” Omorose said. “Just not now. You’re scaring away all my customers, Lightning.”

“You’ve been eating too many strawberries Rose,” Lightning persisted. “Pretty soon, you’ll have red hair, just like mine.”

“I think _you_ have,” Omorose argued. “You’ve ate half this basket and your hair is already bright red.”

“I’ve paid for all of them, haven’t I?” Lightning said with a smirk.

“Have a nice day,” Omorose said, leaning across the table and smiling at Lightning.

“You gotta learn how to let loose every once in awhile,” Lightning said. It was then that he heard the roar of an airship engine. “They’re back!” he said, taking off for the town square. He splashed through puddles, drenching his brown work boots in fallen rainwater. Overhead, the _Condor_ flew by, rattling buildings on their foundations and leaving an aftermath of a loud engine roar echoing. It landed right outside the town square in a clearing and immediately, people began to gather around it.

Lightning fought his way up to the front of the crowd. The ramp lowered to the ground and five squadron members descended the ship. He noticed Boone was missing from the group. None of the others had bright red hair. He felt a rock fall into the bottom of his stomach. Where was his uncle?

“Rex!” Lightning called out, running towards the squadron member with jet black hair. “Where’s Uncle Arlo?” Rex looked at Lightning with a defeated expression. Copper-colored dirt clung to his armor. He looked exhausted, but at the same time, hopeless and lost. Lightning wondered what could have shaken him so much.

“Arlo was killed, Lightning,” he said. “They got Boone, too. There was nothing we could do, we tried to save him…” his voice trailed off. Lightning was frozen in shock. He felt as if all of his muscles had turned to stone.

“He’s… dead?” he asked, even though he had heard Rex loud and clear. Ulysses came to stand beside Rex. Lightning spoke to him, “Ulysses, Is it true?” Ulysses put his hand on Rex’s shoulder and replied.

“The Cyclonians outnumbered us, Kid,” he said. “There’s nothing we could do.” Lightning glanced around himself, but his eyes couldn’t focus. Uncle Argo was gone. He was really gone.

Some people were weeping in the crowd. Others wore looks of utter surprise and astonishment. Some spoke amongst each other. But Lightning was completely silent.

“I will get Simon,” Ulysses said, leaving Rex alone with Lightning. Lightning looked up at Rex’s sad expression.

“How could this happen?” he asked. Lightning was quite tall for his age, almost nose-to-nose with Rex. Before Rex could say something reassuring, Lightning’s parents appeared out of the crowd.

“Lightning! There you are!” his mother said. “Come along, Darling.”

“Ma, Uncle Arlo and Bonne...they...the Cyclonians killed them,” Lightning said.

His mother looked shocked, but it was his father’s expression that really caught Lightning’s eye. His father’s scowl disappeared into a look of fear. Lightning had never seen his father anything other than angry, but today, he was afraid. He’d always called his younger brother Arlo bad names, and now his brother was _really_ gone. Lightning’s father was in so much shock he didn’t have a word to say.

“Claudius,” Lightning’s mother said, shaking his arm. Tears were welding up in her eyes. Claudius shook her off and glared at his son.

“Now see, this is why you should never get involved in that stuff!” he said to Lightning. “Imagine what your mother would do if you got killed by some psycho Cyclonians!”

***

The entire terra mourned Arlo’s death. All the street lamps were decorated with floral bouquets and flags with the Storm Hawks emblem. A funeral was held on the Terra, and the standard procedures for a Skyknight funeral were followed.

Lightning had never witnessed a Skyknight funeral before. Typically, Skyknights were cremated, and their ashes were scattered into the air above their terras. Lanterns were also released at the edge of the terra. It was believed that the lanterns would light the way for the Skyknight’s spirit to reach the afterlife. The members of the team folded a flag with the Skyknight’s squadron symbol on it, and usually gave it to the family.

In this case, however, Arlo had never married and had children, so the flag went to the next-closest family member: his brother. Claudius had no choice but to accept it. Lightning watched his face very carefully. He was used to his father’s hard exterior, but something about losing his little brother tore a few layers away. Now the rough exterior was gone and replaced with sorrow. Lightning never noticed before just how old his father really was. The wrinkles cut deep into his forehead. His skin was dark and leathery from decades out in the sun. Claudius certainly wasn’t a frail man, but he looked that way now. Lightning wasn’t sure what to do. He wanted to help his father, but part of him knew that there was nothing he could do. He couldn't change what time had taken from them.

***

Lightning had gone out to the barn the night after the funeral, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw his father seated on a hay bale with his head in his hands. The scene reminded Lightning of a small child, someone who was hurt and didn’t deserve to be. Something about the scene made Lightning feel sick. His uncle had been the bravest man he knew, and he’d just been killed by Cyclonians. Meanwhile, his father, the strongest man he knew, was breaking. Lightning wasn’t sure what to believe anymore. He couldn't remember a time he'd seen his father cry.

***

The sun was setting over the fields. Lightning was out on the back porch, watching the wheat grass sway in the late evening breeze. He and his father had been working all day in complete silence. Neither one had said anything to each other.

“Lightning,” his mother said, coming out onto the porch. She said his name softly, as if he was still her newborn child. “There’s someone at the door for you.” Lightning stood up slowly and followed his mother back into the house. He kept his face to the floor as he walked. However, his head snapped up when he saw who was waiting for him at the door.

“Rose,” he said her name in surprise. Omorose stood on the front porch with a basket of fresh strawberries.

“I’m so sorry about your uncle Lightning,” she said. Lightning glanced at the floor again.

“Thank you.”

“Would like to take a walk with me?” Omorose offered. Lightning raised his eyebrows in surprise. The same girl that was telling him to bug off last week was asking him to accompany her on a walk.

“Sure.”

***

“I just can’t believe he’s gone,” Lightning said to the grass later. He had a wild strawberry in his hand, but he wasn’t interested in eating it. His sword lay in the grass beside him, the striker crystal tucked safely into his pants pocket.

Omorose sat next to him in the grass with a basket of strawberries in her lap. She drowned out Lightning’s voice beside her as she watched over the field. Up above them in the sky, the sky had darkened and the clouds had parted, revealing a beautiful bright moon and twinkling stars. If it were any normal day, Rose would tease Lightning that he needed to eat more strawberries because his red hair was beginning to fade. Instead, she sat quietly, watching the breeze flutter the leaves of the strawberry patch that lay in front of them. Her hair blew into her face, so she brushed it back.

“I mean, now what do we do?” Lightning asked. Omorose looked over to see him studying her expectantly, looking for an answer.

“We can hope that someone will come along that can be just as good as Arlo was.”

“But Arlo was the _best_ , Rose. All of them are. Now, look at them. Even Rex can’t hold his head high. They’ve all been grounded.”

“Obviously they weren’t the best,” Omorose said. “Cyclonians beat them.” She shuttered, even though she had only said the name, and not come face to face with the enemies.

“Someone needs to do something,” Lightning said. “We need to get rid of Cyclonis once and for all.” He stood up with his sword in his hand. Omorose looked up to see a look of determination on his face.

“What’re you doing?” she asked suspiciously.

“I’m putting a stop to this,” Lightning said. As he started down the hill, Omorose jumped up and scuttled after him.

“What’re you gonna do? You’re just a kid.”

“The Storm Hawks need a Skyknight,” Lightning said to her when they’d reached the bottom of the hill. “Who better than me?”

“Uh, I could name a few,” Omorose said, cocking an eyebrow. “Rex, for one.”

“The Storm Hawks are a hereditary team,” Lightning explained. “Arlo said he said he only wanted Skyknights from his own bloodline. He was weird like that.” When Lightning turned and continued walking, Omorose added, “Lightning, what would your father say about this?” Lightning stopped in his tracks.

“All he’s ever done is shot down my dreams,” Lightning says. “He puts down Skyknights like they’re lower life forms, but whenever I even hint about being one, it’s like I’m not good enough to be one.” Omorose glanced down the basket in her hands, then back up at her friend.

“Do you think you are?” she asked. “I mean, you can’t just pop out of nowhere. You have to train. And then they have to knight you and all.”

“I know,” Lightning said. “And I’m ready. I’ve been training with the Storm Hawks for awhile now. I know how to fly a skimmer. I’m going to talk to Rex about it.” Omorose didn’t respond, so Lightning turned and continued towards the village.

“Lightning,” Omorose called after him. She ran over to him and looked him straight in the eyes. “Just… you know… be careful, okay?” Lightning gave her a wide crooked grin.

“I promise,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy character dump, Batman!


	3. Lightning Strike Pt 3

Later that week, Lightning paid a visit to the grounded Squadron. Rex was standing in as a temporary Skykight until they came back from Boone’s funeral. Lightning knew Rex would have no issue giving up his title. Rex had admitted to him once that he was never a leader type, but more a follower. Rex told him that he enjoyed helping others succeed instead of receiving honor for succeeding. Lightning admired that about him. He strived to be selfless in the same way.

“I have a plan, Rex,” Lightning said. “I want to become the Storm Hawk’s next Skyknight.” None of the men said anything for a few seconds, so Lightning went on. “I’ve been training with you guys. I know how to build a skimmer and fight Cyclonians. If I become a Skyknight, then you guys don’t have to be grounded anymore.” Ulysses, the oldest of the group, stepped forward to speak.

“Why do you want to be a Skyknight, kid?” he asked Lightning.

“Why? Why _not_?” Lightning said. “I’m properly trained, I’m Arlo's only—”

“No, I don’t want to know why you’re qualified do it,” Ulysses interrupted. “I want to know why you _want_ to do it. Why do _you_ want to be a Skyknight, Lightning?”

Lightning was hesitant to answer. Before now, the only reason he’d wanted to do it was to leave the farm. Being a Skyknight, or even just part of a squadron, offered him that freedom from his boring life, and gave him the ability to travel the entire Atmos. He couldn’t think of anything he wanted to do more.

“There are people out there, like my dad, who don’t believe in the Skyknights,” Lightning began. They think that they’re dumb celebrities trying to gain a few fans. But, I know that’s not true. Skyknights are protectors of Atmos. They keep other people safe, so that they can enjoy their lives. I want to make people believe in Skyknights. I want to make everyone believe in Skyknights.”

Ulysses kept a straight face as Lightning talked, but when he finished, a smile grew under his curly blonde mustache.

“Tomorrow we set off for Atmosia,” Ulysses said. He turned to Simon. “Why don’t you send them a message? Tell them there’s a new Skyknight that needs to be knighted.”

“Um, I think you’re forgetting an important detail,” Simon said. “Skyknights have to be sixteen to be knighted. Lightning’s still two years younger than me.”

Lightning’s smile faded as quickly as it grew.

“Does that mean I have to wait a month for my birthday to get knighted?” he asked. He was afraid of an answer.

“Not necessarily,” Edison butted in. “Skyknights can be temporarily knighted in an emergency. We can get you a temporary license, and then you can attend an official knighting ceremony on your birthday.” Lightning was smiling, but soon his grin faded.

“What about my parents?” he asked. “Will we tell them?”

“You’re almost an adult, Lightning,” Rex said. “What power do they have over your decisions?” Lightning grinned again, but his smile faded as soon as Rex added, “I’ll send a message to them tomorrow morning, to let them know it’s for an emergency. It’s up to them if they want to support your decisions from now on.”

“How soon can I start flying with you guys?” Lightning asked.

“As soon as you’re unofficially knighted,” Rex replied.

***

Terra Atmosia looked like a magnificent terra to Lightning. It rose above the clouds, perched like an elegant city over a white and gold sea. The Beacon Tower shined high above the terra’s surface, shedding bright light on anything nearby. Lightning could feel the butterflies in his stomach as the _Condor_ approached the terra. He’d traveled in the ship with the Storm Hawks before, but he never set foot on another terra. Atmosia was such a large terra with a huge city. It all seemed very foreign to him. Instead of being scared, though, Lighting was excited. He knew he had an important mission today.

Since Lightning had never been to Atmosia before, he also had never witnessed a knighting ceremony. Now, he was going to be the center of attention at one. He’d hardly gotten a wink of sleep last night because the thought of his dreams coming true kept him awake. He’d dreamed for years of flying through the skies, saving innocent people from peril and killing some of the massive beasts that flew through the skies. Now, he would become a name everyone would remember. He’d be a legend.

A few Atmosians stopped what they were doing to watch the squadron walk down the street. Skyknight squadrons only came to Atmosia for official business, since it was the home of the Skyknight Council. To see a squadron other than the Read Eagles on the street was an exciting event.

Lighting smiled at the Atmosians and waved to some of them, but he noticed many were talking amongst themselves. He could feel their eyes watching him. He wondered if they knew about Arlo yet. Maybe they were curious why he wasn’t with his team today, and instead, a young man walked with them.

As the team entered the large building of the Skyknight Council, Lightning wondered what he would have to do to be knighted. Would there be an obstacle course full of challenges that he would have to survive in order to pass and be eligible? Would there be vows and chants that he should have memorized, but on such short notice, never had a chance to memorize? Or, would he just be sworn in and sign a large scroll, like so many before him had done?

Lightning’s questions were answered when he glanced around the room. The massive building had ceilings twenty feet high, with a large glass done at the top, spilling sunlight into the room. The red carpet led to what looked like a large reception desk, where five old men sat, staring at scrolls. Their extravagant red and gold robes resembled something of a king.

Lightning wore brown Skyknight boots, dark blue pants, and a shirt with patches in two different shades of blue. He had tied his sword to his belt and now it sat on his right hip, barely brushing across his calf as he walked. The Storm Hawks emblem shined on his back. He looked and felt like a real Skyknight. He was ready.

“Good morning, Gentlemen,” Rex began, stepping in front of the rest of the group. All four men looked up from their work and scowled at him. Lightning wondered if maybe they were squinting at Rex through their reading glasses.

“State your intention to the council,” sad the second man from the left. His hair was thinning and his beard was thick and gray. Rex stepped aside so Lightning was dead center. Conall nudged him forward.

Lightning took a step forward and cleared his throat.

“Uh, I am Lightning Strike, from the Terra Sparrow, and I seek Skyknighthood,” he said, reciting what Ulysses had told him to say. The council members kept their scowls, though some looked less intimidating than others.

“Please bring your credentials forward,” the head councilman said.

“My...what?”

“Lightning doesn’t have any credentials,” Ulysses said, stepping forward. “He was chosen from Arlo’s bloodline out of emergency.”

“How old is he?” the far right councilman asked.

“I’m going on sixteen, Sir,” Lightning answered. The councilmen exchanged glances. Lightning thought they looked annoyed at him.

“An applicant must have reached the age of sixteen prior to his or her knighthood. No credentials, no consideration,” said one of the councilman. “That will be all. Good day.”

“Wait—that’s not fair!” Lightning said. He tried to go on, But Rex took a step forward and held his hand out, as if to silently tell him that he’d said enough.

“Councilmen, please reconsider. The Storm Hawks are a hereditary team. Skyknights can only come from the founding Skyknight’s bloodline.”

“We are aware of your squadron’s traditions,” a councilman cut in.

“But, Sir, Lightning is Arlo’s only descendant,” Rex went on. “He should be able to—“

“Rex, I’ll handle this part,” Edison said, coming to stand on the other side of Lighting. He looked up and addressed the councilmen. “Councilmen, I’m sure you are all very familiar with the Skyknight Creed.”

“Of course we are; it is our duty to honor its amendments.” Edison let out a cough and fixed his big, round glasses.

“Then, of course, you are familiar with section sixteen-B, where it clearly states that an applicant may be knighted to a squadron when a sudden absence of the Skyknight occurs. Section fourteen-J also states that a Squadron is not legally allowed to operate during the long-term absence of a Skyknight. Since Arlo’s death, we’ve been grounded. We can’t continue to be a squadron without a new Skyknight.” Lightning wondered why Edison didn’t mention that Rex was temporarily standing in. Was he never properly knighted for the job?

“He has not reached the proper age,” a councilman pointed out.

“Yes, but according to _our_ squadron’s amendments, Lightning is the only person in all of Atmos that is eligible to become Skyknight of the Storm Hawks.”

The councilmen talked amongst each other. Lightning wondered if anyone of them had come around to the idea and were trying to convince the others. After what felt like an hour to Lightning, the councilmen turned their attention back to the squadron before them.

“The Council has declared that a temporary knighthood will be held. This knighting will only be valid for thirty days, in which the Skyknight in question will be allowed to operate with his squadron. However, the Skyknight will not be authorized to participate in the Skyknight Council meetings, as he is not an official Skyknight.”

Lightning couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Behind him, Simon let out an enthusiastic, “Yes!” Rex clamped his hand on Lightning’s shoulder and shook him like a proud father. The councilmen descended from their podium and stood in front of it. One held a long, thin sword. A second held a large, thick book.

“Kneel before the council,” the councilman in the center said. Lightning did as he was told. The councilman with the book opened to a page, adjusted his glasses, and read, “State your name and squadron.”

“Lightning Strike, of the Storm Hawks,” Lightning said. Every ounce of pride shone through in those words. He’d been waiting a long time to say them.

“Do you, Lightning Strike of the Storm Hawks, promise to uphold the peace and protect the people of Atmos?”

“I do.”

“And, do you promise to respect the ancient amendments of the Skyknight Council, and all the squadrons who patrol the skies?”

“I do.”

The councilman with the sword raised it and tapped Lighting’s left shoulder.

“By the authority of the Skyknight Council, I declare this young man to be a...temporary Skyknight,” he said. He tapped Lighting’s other shoulder. “Rise, Lightning Strike, Temporary Skyknight of the Storm Hawks.”

Lightning was expecting to feel wired after being knighted, but he wasn’t expecting to feel like himself. Even after he signed his name in the registry, Lightning didn’t feel like a Skyknight for real. His life dream finally came true. He’d never have to go back and work on his father’s farm again. He could finally see the world and do whatever he wanted. He was free.


	4. Lightning Strike Pt 4

The squadron flew back to Terra Sparrow to announce the news that Lightning was their new Skyknight. Rex thought it would give them all new hope after losing Arlo and Boone. He also wanted to stop and see his family one last time before the squadron left to patrol the quadrant.

Rex found Lightning on the balcony of the _Condor_. He’d watched the sun set, and was standing in the same spot watching the stars come out.

“What’s it feel like to be a Skyknight, kid?” Rex asked him. Lightning shrugged his shoulders, but his lips turned up in a grin.

“I feel like myself, but like a complete version of myself. It’s like I’ve gained all this new responsibility.”

“Being a Skyknight is a lot of responsibility, but it’s always worth it. You’ll see. One day, when you save someone for the first time, you’ll know what it really feels like to be a hero.”

“I wonder how angry my dad will be when he finds out,” Lightning said. He chuckled, but his face quickly turned serious. “What if he never talks to me again?”

“Your mother would never let that happen, and you know it. Your old man is protective, that’s all. He’s trying to raise you to be a good man someday. Once he sees how much honor you’re bringing to his family, and all the good you’re doing for people, he’ll come through. I know; I’m a father, too.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Lightning, I have a question for you,” Rex went on. “It’s a serious request. It means a lot to me.” Lightning wasn’t sure what Rex would say. Would he give him some special kind of weapon to help him overcome the Cyclonians? Is he going to let him drive his skimmer?

“I can handle serious. Skyknight, remember?”

“Your uncle Arlo was my best friend. When I found out that I was going to have a son, I asked him to be his godfather. Ace just turned four, but he doesn’t have a godfather anymore. I want you to be his godfather now.”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Of course. Every boy needs a father figure. And just in case I’m not around anymore one day, he’ll need someone to look up to. I want that person to be you.”

“Wow, Rex, this is such an honor. Thank you,” Lightning said. Rex grinned at his young Skyknight companion.

“Thank you. I know you’re going to make a great Skyknight.”

***

When the _Condor_ finally touched down on Terra Sparrow, Lightning followed the squadron down to the loading ramp. Once the door started to open, none of the squadron members moved. They were all waiting for Lighting to descend first.

When he finally stepped down the ramp, he found himself face-to-face with a small group of people. They started cheering when they saw him appear. Once he reached the ground, people were congratulating him, shaking his hand, and patting him on the back. Lightning was loving all the new attention. People were looking up to him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lightning saw Rex approach a woman holding a child. He smiled and walked over to join them.

“Congratulations, Lightning,” Rex’s wife said. Rex was now holding his son, so his wife gave Lightning a hug. “Rex and I are so proud of you. We knew you’d make a great Skyknight someday, but I wish I didn’t have to be this way.”

“Me either,” Lightning said. “I wish Arlo was still around. It really broke my family the day he died.”

“We can honor his spirit by becoming the best squadron in the Atmos,” Rex said, putting an arm around Lightning. He was starting to get used to all Rex’s kind, fatherly gestures.

“I promise I’ll lead us to it,” Lightning said.

“Lightning!”

He heard a female voice cry out. When he spun around, he realized that two girls had called his name. Mickey and Omorose were walking towards him. Flint and Kip weren’t far behind.

“What’s all this about?” Mickey started. “People are saying you’re the new Skyknight of the Storm Hawks.”

“The rumors are true,” Lightning said, slicking his hair back. “I got knighted earlier today.”

“Wow! That’s amazing. You’re part of a real Skyknight squadron now. What’s it like?” Kip said.

“It’s the most incredible thing ever,” Lightning replied. He’d locked eyes with Omorose.

“Congratulations,” she said.

“Wow, no ‘thank the Atmos I never have to see your face everyday,’ or anything like that?” Lightning mocked. “I’m disappointed in you, Rose.”

“I’m just saying that it’s a very honorable thing you’re doing, and I hope you do it well.”

“Um, thanks.” Lightning wasn’t used to Omorose treating him like an elder. He wished she’d go back to teasing him and being rude again.

Flint made a joke about Omorose and Lightning, but the new Skyknight didn’t hear it. Instead, he focused on a frayed straw-hat peeking out through the crowd, and underneath, the face of a man who’d been broken for the last time.

Lightning abandoned his friends to go talk to his father. He could see the disappointment written all over his face. His instincts were telling him to run, but his natural courage propelled his feet forward. When he was close enough to his father to speak, he said just one word.

“Dad.”

His father looked back at him with his stone-cold scowl. He didn’t yell. He didn’t lash out. Instead, he just said the five words that Lightning wished he’d never have to hear.

“You’re no son of mine.”

***

Lightning didn't return home that night. He spent the evening on the grounded _Condor_ , celebrating his new title with his squadron. It still felt strange to be the leader of a whole squadron. He was the youngest, but he received the most honor and respect.

Rex arrived late to the party, because he’d spent that evening with his family. When he arrived, he pulled Lightning aside to speak with him.

“Have you talked to your parents yet?” he asked the young Skyknight. Lightning shrugged his shoulders and stared at the metal floor between his feet.

“I saw my father in the crowd. If you could have seen the way he looked at me, you wouldn’t want to go home, either.”

“You should at least go talk to them,” Rex said. “Your mother responded to the message I sent her. She said she’s so proud of you, and she wants to see you one last time before we set off.”

Lightning focused his gaze on a spot on the wall. He did want to see his mother, but he didn’t want to deal with his father’s wrath.

“He probably won’t let me step into the house,” he mumbled. “We should just leave tomorrow morning at start fighting off the Cyclonians. We can come back on my birthday, and I can visit my mother then.”

“If that’s really what you want to do… you’re the Skyknight,” Rex said. "Just consider it, though." He left Lightning alone to tell the crew they were leaving the next morning.

Lightning disappeared to the _Condor’s_ balcony. The air was cooler out here, and it made him believe that he could think clearer in the fresh air. A light breeze blew past, making goose bumps rise on Lightning’s exposed skin.

He didn’t want to sit here on Terra Sparrow and try to reason with his father. He’d been doing that for almost sixteen years. He wanted to leave this terra for as long as he could. If it were up to him, he would never return here and spend his entire life in the sky.

It was then that he realized he _could_ spend his entire life in the sky. He was the Skyknight of this squadron, and his orders were above all others. He could declare that they only land for emergencies, supplies, or to help people as part of a mission. He could make the rules of his own life now.

“I’m never coming back here,” he muttered to himself. He knew he would miss the memories he made with his friends, but he’d grown past those childish games. He was in the real Skyknight world now. He couldn’t have any attachments anymore.


	5. Lightning Strike Pt 5

The _Condor_ took off early that morning, before the sun had fully risen over the horizon. Lightning regretted not saying goodbye to his friends, but he knew they would understand that he had business to take care of. He could write them letters in the meantime.

Once the crew was a few leagues away from Terra Sparrow, Edison appeared on the main deck with an armful of books. When he let them fall out of his arms and onto the table, they made a huge _thump!_ noise that caused everyone but Ulysses to jump.

“Ed, what are you doing?” Simon asked. He had gathered up one of his navigational instruments in his arms, holding it like a mother protecting her child from a rabid dog. His goggles had fallen askew on his face, but they must not have bothered him, because he was glaring right through them.

“Lightning only has twenty-nine days to prepare for his official knighting ceremony,” Edison said, flipping through one of the books. “We need to get started right away.”

“What are they gonna make me do at the ceremony?” Lightning asked, staring at the large pile of books. He hoped he didn’t have to remember hundreds of rules and procedures.

“Usually, the ceremony starts with a recited chant,” Edison explained, pushing his thick glasses up his nose. He flipped through a few more pages. “Here, see? Then, the council will say some words, you’ll recite an oath, and they’ll knight you—well, in your case, they’ll knight you again—I mean, officially.”

“Sweet,” Lightning said with a grin. He was grateful that he wouldn’t be tested on anything. “In the meantime, I want to find some Cyclonians.”

“Oh, that’ll be easy,” Simon piped up. “The Buff Buzzards have been keeping a close eye on their movement in the Western Quadrant. There’s been a lot of activity over there.”

“Let’s go catch ourselves some Talons,” Lightning said. “Ulysses? Will you take us there?”

“As soon as Simon gives me the coordinates,” the tall, bearded man said. He stared at Simon expectantly.

“Oh! Right,” Simon said, his eyes drawing back to his map.

“Lightning, have you thought about what we’re going to do with the captured Cyclonians?” Edison asked.

“What do you usually do with them?”

“Well, usually we take them back to Atmosia as prisoners, and put them on trial, where the Skyknight council will decide their fate,” Edison explained.

“We should be planning,” Conall blurted out. He went to stand next to Simon and surveyed the map over his shoulder (which wasn’t hard, considering Conall was a whole head taller than Simon).

“How do you guys plan for a mission?” Lightning asked Rex. The wingman watched Conall out of the corner of his eye.

“Conall, Simon, and Boone were the dream team when it came to planning and stealth work,” he explained. “I don’t know how the two of them are going to handle things now that Boone is gone. They're still shaken up about losing two of our best men. It’s going to take awhile for all of us to adjust.”

“Do you think they would let me help?” Lightning asked.

“It never hurts to ask.”

*** 

The Western Quadrant was a lot like the Eastern Quadrant, where Terra Sparrow was located. Lightning noticed that the weather was very similar, expect the air seemed dryer and the winds were much stronger here. The western terras were also more rocky and mountainous than those in the east.

When Simon spotted a Cyclonian freighter nearby, the team took off for their rides. Lightning was told to ride his uncle’s skimmer, but he was hesitant to mount it and start it up. Instead, he stood for a few seconds, admiring the red and blue paint job. When he was first learning to fly, his uncle had let him fly his skimmer a few times, but now, it wasn’t Arlo’s skimmer, it was Lightning’s.

Simon, Edison, and Ulysses stayed on board to fly the ship and operate the cannons. Rex took off in his blue skimmer, soaring down the runway and opening up his wings to take off. Lightning could see the Talon fighters dispersing from the carrier ahead.

“Don’t just stand there, Kid,” Conall warned from the seat of his green skimmer. “We’ve got Cyclonians to take care of.”

The two took off on their skyrides. Rex preferred to fight with two, short swords, which were strapped to his back. Conall had a crossbow and plenty of ammo. Lightning powered up his own sword and prepared for battle. The Talons were getting closer and closer now. He started to feel something like panic, but he brushed it off and reminded himself that he’d been training months for this.

A Talon aimed at Lightning, but because of his quick reflexes, he was able to dodge the attack. He went on, flying past energy blasts and avoiding clipped wings. He tried to lash out with his sword, but the Talons were too far out of his reach.

More Talons were swarming, and the three Storm Hawks were easily outnumbered. Simon and Edison were aiming their fire at the freighter, trying to shoot down the engines. Rex was soaring through the swarm of Talons, fighting with both swords, and not even bothering to steer. Conall was spinning and diving all over the place, shooting blasts at the Talons from his crossbow. Lightning realized that unless a Talon flew close enough, his sword was useless.

He flipped his skimmer onto autopilot and climbed up onto the top wings. The wings were very wobbly, and it was hard for Lightning to keep his balance, but at least now he could reach the Talons. One flew by and he reached out, swiping his sword across the nose of the skimmer and sending the Talon into a tailspin.

“Lightning! What are you doing!?” Rex called out.

“Improvising!”

Talons aimed blasts at him, but he retaliated with his sword. He may not have mastered flying yet, but he was definitely skilled with his sword. Some blasts retaliated and hit Talon skimmers. Lightning used his sword to take down a few more talons. They were still swarming around, but at least the fight was much more even now.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lightning saw the _Condor_ struggling to slow down the Cyclonian freighter with its blasts. He steered his skimmer towards the massive red airship. He wasn’t quite sure how he would stop it yet, but he knew he needed to help. He was contemplating on jumping onto the side, where he saw the latch for an escape hatch. If he could get inside, he could shut the engines down.

Then, Lightning had a better idea. As he was twirling his sword around in his hand, he felt a tingling sensation creep up his arm. When he twirled it again, he noticed that the energy from the striker crystal was somehow sending energy charges through his body. He realized that he didn’t have to be inside the ship to take the engines out. He just had to have enough power to do it form the outside.

Lightning climbed up onto his skimmer’s wings again and spun his sword. Energy pulsated through is body, and he launched himself off of the skimmer, aiming straight for the freighter’s external engines. When he was close enough, he swung his sword, slashing through the thick metal, and ripping the engine in two. Then, he kicked off of the side of the freighter and slashed the wings off of a Talon’s skimmer. When gravity started to regain control over him, he aimed for his skyride and landed feet-first on one of the wings.

When the Talons noticed that their freighter was quickly losing altitude, they began to retreat. Lightning returned to his seat and flew over to Rex to watch the ship go down.

“Lightning, how did you do that?” Rex asked. Lightning shrugged his shoulders and watched Conall as he flew closer.

“How in Atmos did you manage to take down a freighter all by yourself?”

“Well… I had help from the _Condor_ ,” Lightning admitted jokingly. Conall laughed with him, but Rex was still studying him curiously.

“Arlo wasn’t kidding when he said you’d do great things,” he said.


	6. Lightning Strike Pt 6

Many miles away, an unlucky Talon had to report the news of the lost freighter back to his commanding officer. The talon flew with caution. He was sure that he wouldn’t get blasted out of the sky in Cyclonian territory, but he was not anticipating the conversation with his commanding officer. The commander of the Talon army was a young man, just barely nineteen, who did not have patience for justice. If someone did something wrong, he believed in punishment first, and asking questions later. His attitude had helped Cyclonia maintain its ruthless personality from decades of ruling over Atmos.

When the Talon touched down on the Cyclonian base, he walked up to the Commander. The Commander wore a black and red uniform, which gave him a sinister look. His dark purple hair stood out among the crowd.

"Sir,” the talon said tentatively. “We’ve had an accident by Terra Glockenchime.”

“The terra was not secured?” The commander assumed.

“No, sir, there was a Skyknight squadron there.”

“Who?”

“We’re not sure, Sir. Their symbol was a blue hawk. One of them was still just a boy. He must have been a Skyknight, because he was extremely powerful. He took down the whole freighter just by himself. We had no choice but to retreat.”

“I will tell Master Cyclonis of this… unfortunate event,” the Commander said. “She can decide what to do with you cowards. As for those Storm Hawks, I’ll make them pay for what they’ve done.”

***

The Cyclonians controlled most of the Northern and Western Quadrants, but the Commander had a long ride to the actual terra. Cyclonia was mostly industrial; the empire had control over most of the materials in Atmos, so many of the smaller surrounding terras had been converted to factories. Cyclonia used its power over materials to force other terras to join its empire. It was the threat of poverty and starvation that prevented many civilians from fighting back.

The Commander flew his skyride into a hangar and dismounted. He made his way for the throne room, where a woman with grey-streaked hair stood by a window. She wore a long, draping burgundy cape and a black tunic underneath. She was very elegant, but in an intimidating way, with sharp features and watchful eyes. Thin lines extended from her eyes and framed her mouth, hinting to an older age. She was watching a fleet of Talons fly away, but she turned her head when she heard the Commander’s footsteps.

“Master Cyclonis,” the Commander said as he bowed down on one knee with his right fist held against is chest as a sign of respect.

“Rise,” the old woman said. “State your business.”

“Terra Glockenchine was not conquered, Master,” the Commander said. His voice sounded strained when addressing his master, as if there was a name he believed suited her much better. “The Talon fleet lost the freighter by the hands of the Storm Hawks.” Master Cyclonis rolled her eyes. They were dark grey, like the color of thunderstorm clouds.

“I knew I should have sent you with them,” she said. She heaved a heavy sigh and continued. “Was the freighter empty?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Good. We can retrieve it from the Wastelands and fix the mechanical issues. On the other hand, I have a new mission for you.” The Commander watched his master curiously.

“What might that be?”

“Your new mission is to ground the Storm Hawks. Prevent them from leaving their quadrant. This is the fourth time they have entered another quadrant and hijacked our plans. You must set up a defense barrier around the Eastern Quadrant. Keep them penned in until we can take Glockenchime for our own.”

“Yes, Master,” the Commander replied. “I will not fail.”

“I know you won’t,” Master Cyclonis said, walking closer to the young officer. She kissed his cheek and added, “I raised you to succeed.”

***

The Commander set to work rounding up his troops. He planned on stationing lookout scouts along the edges of the East Quadrant. As he assigned the positions to each squadron of Talons, the Commander began to daydream about his future. He had so many opportunities ahead of him. Not only was he head of the entire Cyclonian army, but one day, we would control the entire fleet. He would have the power and the title of Master Cyclonis.

Even though he longed to be in charge, the Commander didn’t want the current ruler to step down just yet. She had led the perfect reign; she wasn’t power-hungry, but she was constantly anticipating her enemies' next move. She knew how to intimidate her enemies without giving them the opportunity for revenge. She’d been almost a decade without a husband, and she proved that she didn’t need a king. The Commander hoped he could one day be as successful as his mother has been.

After he finished setting up his patrol scouts, the Commander set off for the West Quadrant to oversee the recovery of the freighter. He secretly hoped he would run into the Storm Hawks on the way so he could finish them off for good. His mother may be more merciful and consider arrest and a trial, but he preferred revenge in the form of a blade. The Storm Hawks were just a minor snag in Master Cyclonis’ plan. The freighter incident would be the last time they cross Cyclonia’s path and come out alive.

***

A few days went by, and the Cyclonians were just about finished rebuilding the recovered freighter. Master Cyclonis called the Commander into her throne room.

“It’s time to finish what we started,” she explained. “I want you to lead the charge to the West. Start with Terra Belenus. Once we conquer that one, we can set up a watch post. Then, we can conquer Glockenchime once and for all.”

“Yes, Master.”

“I assume since you have fenced in the Storm Hawks, it will be much easier to overcome just one squadron.”

“Of course.”

“I’ll expect a report back in no more than three days.”

“Yes, Master.”

***

Many miles away, Ulysses flew the _Condor_ flew east while the rest of the crew helped plan Lightning’s training. Edison was absorbed in helping Lightning learn oaths and pledges, while Simon wanted to work on the more technical battle strategies.

“He needs more practice flying,” Simon said.

“Hold on. Did you even see him out there?” Conall argued. “He was standing on his skimmer’s wings while it was flying. I think he’s got flying covered.”

“What about sparring?” Simon asked, continuing down his checklist.

“The kid took a whole freighter down by himself. I think he’s good.”

“Okay… Sky Fu?”

“That’s something we could work on,” Rex said. When Lightning opened his mouth to protest, Rex cut him off and added, “If I remember clearly, you could still use some practice fighting Talons. Airships are easy compared to humans.”

“I took down some Talons,” Lighting pointed out.

“With a sword,” Rex said. He held his hands up in two fists. "You can brag when you do it with your bare hands."

“We should probably focus on the oath for right now, since that’s what you’ll actually need to become a Skyknight,” Edison said. “You’ll need to know how the Skyknight Council meetings go, because it’s very traditional, and everything is very rigid—“

Suddenly, the waning signal pierced through the air on the main deck. Lightning jumped at the sound of the siren; he still wasn’t used to hearing it.

“Cyclonians spotted nearby,” Ulysses said as he peered out of a periscope. Simon rushed over and grabbed the second periscope to look. He spun in circles, trying to focus in on the Cyclonians.

“I found them!” he said. “But… they’re not doing anything. They’re just sitting around.”

“Perfect! We can pull a surprise attack,” Lightning said.

“We don’t attack Cyclonians unless they attack one of the squadrons, first,” Ulysses explained. “We don’t go around hunting for battles, Lightning. We keep the peace. That’s what our job is for.”

“We don’t start fights; we finish them,” Conall added with a wink.

Lightning turned his attention to the Cyclonians outside. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of Talons were idling around large freighters, watching the _Condor_ as it flew past.

“I wonder what they’re doing,” Simon said. “Do you think they’re scouting out something in the East Quadrant?”

“They’re sitting right on the border. They wouldn’t dare enter our quadrant,” Ulysses said. “Cyclonia controls most of the North and the West quadrants, but Atmosia still has all of the East and most of the South. If they so much take a single step into our territory, we have every right to put them back in our place. I think that’s why they’re only on the edge of the border right now. They know if they cross it, we can open fire.”

“Has Cyclonia ever tried to take over Atmosia before?” Lightning asked.

“Oh, yes, a few times,” Edison said. He pushed his magnified glasses up his nose and added, “The red Eagles held them off well. We weren’t formed yet when the battles happened, but everyone else came to their aid.” He picked up one of his books and started riffling through the pages.

“Do you think they’ll ever try again?”

“Not if they’re smart enough,” Edison said as he stopped turning pages. “Atmosia has gained a lot of power in the quadrant over the past few decades. We can hold our own now.”

Lightning wanted to believe what his squadron was telling him. However, he knew those Cyclonians were not idling on the border for no reason. They wouldn’t have let the Storm Hawks pass without interfering, unless they were focused on something much bigger. He wasn’t sure what could possibly be that important to them.

“So, we better start working on those Sky Fu techniques,” Rex said, nudging Lightning with his elbow. “Conall, want to come along?”

“Yeah, I bet I could teach the kid a few tricks.”

“But the oath—“

“I can memorize it later tonight, Edison,” Lightning said. He turned and followed Rex to the hangar bay.

“Do you really think he can be a Skyknight?” Simon asked the rest of the crew when Lightning was well out of earshot.

“He did fine in his first battle,” Edison pointed out. He sunk down on the couch and went back to scanning the pages of his book.

“If he can do that well this young, he’ll be great when he’s older. None of us were that good when we were his age, not even Arlo,” Ulysses added.

“It’s not the same without him here,” Simon said. “It’s not the same without Boone.”

“It’s definitely quieter without all the explosions,” Edison said. Simon scowled at him, but Edison was too immersed in his reading to notice.

***

Out in the hangar bay, Rex and Conall showed Lightning the easiest ways to disarm and take down an opponent. After a few days, they took to the skies, and practiced fighting on their skimmers. Lightning became much better at keeping his balance when he leapt up onto his wings. When Rex commented on his dangerous stunts, Lightning simply replied, “You don’t have to stay in your seat to fight.” Rex and Conall refused to fight the same way.

“I prefer shooting people down as opposed to jumping out of my seat to attack them,” Conall admitted.

“I already do enough dangerous things. I’ve got to stay a little bit safe for Ace and Melanie,” Rex said.

***

One afternoon, after finishing his training, Lighting returned to the main deck with Rex and Conall on his heels. Simon was frantically running between a periscope and studying his maps.

“We just got a distress call from the Buff Buzzards. Terra Belenus has been overtaken by the Cylonians,” Edison said. He had a spread of different types of crystals on the table.

"I knew they were up to something!" Simon said, ruffling his own hair as he paced across the deck.

“They’re going to hit Glockenchime next,” Ulysses guessed. Everyone looked at Lightning.

“We have to help them.”


	7. Lightning Strike Pt 7

The Storm Hawks flew to the Buff Buzzards’ aide. When they reached the coordinates, they found themselves face-to-face with an enormous talon army.

“Where are the Buzzards?” Lightning asked.

“The Talons must have taken them captive,” Simon guessed.

“Okay, so we just have to rescue a Skyknight squadron and reclaim a terra,” Lightning said.

“And prevent Cyclonia from taking over Glockenchime,” Edison added.

“Great. Piece of cake.”

After hastily coming up with a plan, everyone, with the exception of Ulysses and Edison, took to their skyrides. According to their plan, Conall, Simon, Edison, and Ulysses were supposed to fend off the Talons and distract them, while Rex and Lightning located the missing Skyknights and rescued them. Conall had a hunch that the Skyknights were being held on Terra Belenus. Rex and Lightning flew towards the small, rocky terra. Talons swarmed around them, shooting red blasts of crystal energy at them, but Lightning wasn’t afraid of being hit. He knew Conall and Simon were behind him, shooting down every Talon that cut across their paths.

As Lightning flew closer to Belenus, he saw more and more Talons around him. He lit his sword and deflected a few blasts, but he felt exposed.

“How are we going to get past all of them?” Lightning asked Rex. His wingman surveyed the group of Talons that had set up a defensive line, hovering in front of the terra.

“We could use some backup, guys,” Rex said into his radio. He and Lightning darted off in opposite directions to avoid getting blasted. Lightning realized why the Buff Buzzards had been captured so quickly. There were so many Talons, it wasn’t hard to be outnumbered and overwhelmed.

Conall and Simon appeared, shooting down some of the Talons.

“Looks like we go to plan B,” Lightning said over the radio.

“We have no plan B,” Simon said. His voice sounded frantic over the speaker.

“We won’t be able to go in low-profile, so we’ll just have to do an ambush,” Lightning explained. “Hit ‘em with all you’ve got!”

The squadron followed their young leader’s orders and fired away at their enemies. Soon, the sky was full of blue and red blasts of crystal energy, and smoke from broken skimmers losing altitude. Lighting used his new moves up on the wings of his skimmer to take down the Talons. When he spun his sword again, trying to use his fancy Skyknight move, he felt the crystal energy surge through his body. He launched himself into the sky, aiming for some Talons. He flew past one, slicing the wing off of the Talon’s skimmer. He continued flying past four or five more Talons and clipping their wings in the process. He felt unstoppable. He felt as if he was one giant crystal, emitting energy across the sky.

When he finally landed back on his skimmer, most of the Talons had been taken down. The four Storm Hawks landed on Terra Belenus, while their companions hovered above in their airship as extra cover.

Lightning saw the Buff Buzzards chained to individual rock formations that protruded from the soil like nature-made columns. The Buzzards looked grateful to see him, but he could see in the Skyknight’s eyes that something was wrong.

“That was a nice little trick you pulled on my Talons,” Lightning heard a voice say. He saw a man off to his right, not much older than himself, clad in all black. He stood with his shoulders drawn back and his hands folded behind his back, surveying the Storm Hawks as if they were a piece in an art gallery.

“Who are you?” Lightning asked. Before the man could respond, two Talons grabbed a hold of him. He struggled against their grip, but he couldn’t wiggle free. He saw his squadron being restrained out of the corner of his eye.

“I’m the commander of the Talon army,” the man said. “You’ve just stepped foot on my territory, and I don’t appreciate that.”

“This terra belongs to the Buff Buzzards,” Rex said.

“This terra belongs to Cyclonia,” the Commander said, pointing to a flag perched atop a hill. The crimson feathered-serpent shape stood out against the olive-green background of the flag. Lightning glared at the flag.

“You won’t get away with this,” Conall said.

“I believe I already did.”

Lightning was able to wiggle his arm free, but when he went for his sword on his back, he realized it had disappeared. The Talons that had apprehended him also took his weapons. Instead, Lightning pulled his other arm free and made a break for the Commander, planning to take him on in a fistfight, if he had to.

The Commander raised his staff and aimed it at Lightning, but Lightning’s reflexes saved him. He dodged the red blast and tackled the Commander to the ground like a rugby player. He felt the ground shake underneath his feet, but he didn’t think much of it, since terras were constantly shifting. However, The rumbling noise was accompanied by the sound of blasters. Lightning realized his team on the _Condor_ was firing shots as a distraction. His team on the ground quickly freed themselves and started fighting off the Talons.

The Commander shoved Lightning off of him, and Lightning landed hard in the rocky soil. Before he could regain his balance, the Commander had retrieved his staff and was aiming at Lightning’s head.

“Lightning!”

He looked over to see Rex tossing his two-pronged sword in his direction. Lightning caught it one-handed and used it to deflect the Commander’s staff. He quickly regained his footing, but the Commander wasn’t finished with him yet. The two sparred against each other, crystal staff against crystal sword, both opponents matched in strength. Lightning did have faster reflexes, though, and soon he was able to trip up the Commander. When the Commander fell onto his back, the air left his lungs. He looked up at Lightning with a shocked expression, the fear in his eyes making him appear closer to Lightning’s age than that of an adult.

“This is where I call checkmate,” Lightning said, aiming his sword at the Commander’s throat. He had one foot propped on his enemy’s chest, pinning him to the hard ground. Behind him, his team knocked out the Talons and started cutting the chains off of their allies.

“This terra belongs to the Buff Buzzards,” Lightning went on. “I want you to remember the day that the Storm Hawks took back their friends’ terra. It will mark the day that you failed. Now, take _that_ back to your Master.”

Lightning took his foot off of the Commander’s chest. Apparently, he’d been applying a lot of pressure, because the Commander gasped and heaved out a breath. The Storm Hawks and the Buff Buzzards appeared behind the Commander.

“By the authority of the Free Atmos, we’re placing you under arrest,” Rex said. He and Conall each grabbed one of the Commander’s arms and yanked him into a standing position.

“How’d you fancy a trip to Atmosia?” Conall asked the Commander. “I heard the jail has new plumbing.”

***

News of the Storm Hawks helping the Buff Buzzards reclaim their terra spread across the Free Atmos faster than a sandstorm spreads across Terra Saharr. The two Skyknight groups didn't pay much attention to gossip, but when Atmosians saw two squadrons leading the Commander of the Talon army to the Skyknight Council, they quickly discovered why everyone already knew what happened.

The Red Eagles decided to throw a celebration for the Storm Hawks and the Buff Buzzards. That night, Atmosia was lit with hundreds of glowing lanterns and string lights. Bands played music in the streets, and everyone danced along the cobblestones.

Lightning watched the people around him dancing. He thought about joining them, but he realized he’d need a partner. Rose instantly came to his mind. He hadn’t seen her in two weeks, and he was starting to miss their conversations. He and Rose had grown up together. They would play together after school until the sun began to set and their parents would call them home. Lightning remembered one instance where he and Rose raced through a strawberry patch to get to his tree first. They were maybe seven, or eight years old, screaming as they ran. Lightning was ahead, but Rose wasn’t much further behind him.

“I’m flying!” Lightning cried out as Rose giggled. He put his arms out like a skimmer and began swerving across the field.

“Me, too!” Rose said, imitating her friend. The two children circled around the field with their arms out like wings. When the last of his energy escaped him, Lightning collapsed in between two thick vines and stared up at the clear sky above him. Rose joined him on the ground.

“One day, I want to be a Skyknight,” he said. “I’m going to fly all the way across Atmos and back.”

“I want to come, too” Rose said.

“You can come. You can be part of my squadron.”

“Cool. I’m going to find the prettiest crystal in all of Atmos.”

“We can look for it together. That can be our first mission.”

“What do you say we head back home and celebrate with our families?” Rex asked, nudging Lightning with his elbow. Lightning was brought back to the present, feeling like he’d been jolted awake from a nap.

“Oh, uh, I figured we'd stay and watch the Commander’s trial,” Lightning said.

“I’m sure your mother misses you.”

“She probably does.”

“What do you say? I think we should go back and pay her and your old man a visit. Besides, I haven’t seen Melanie and Ace in awhile.”

Lightning watched Rex’s face change when he spoke abut his family. His expression softened, and he seemed to bare his soul out in the open. Lightning felt the guilt rising in his stomach. He’d been so selfish, trying to get as far away from his home terra, that he forgot about his squadron members who had family there.

“I suppose Ace deserves to see his dad again,” Lightning said. He watched Rex’s entire body relax. He squeezed Lightning’s shoulder and said, “Thank you.”

***

The next morning, the squadron set out for Sparrow. Lightning was having mixed feelings about seeing his family again. He was excited to see his friends and his mother, but he was unsure of how his father would act. He wanted to believe that he could change his father’s mind about Skyknights, but a part of him still believed that he would still act the same. Some people never changed, and his father was one of them.

When the _Condor_ touched down on the Terra, Lightning braced himself for the reunions. He wanted to find his friends first, because they would be happy to see him. He would confront his father later, so if things didn’t go well, it wouldn’t spoil his whole day.

Lightning’s friends were waiting in the crowd for him. He quickly spotted Mickey, Kip, and Flint, standing together near the front.

“There’s the hero who caught the Commander!” Kip said as Lightning approached his friends.

“It wasn’t just me; my squadron and the Buff Buzzards helped,” Lighting said with a shrug. Mickey hugged her friend.

“Welcome home, Skyknight,” she said. She punched him in the shoulder. “You been doing a lot of training with your squadron? You look good.”

“Oh, thanks,” Lightning said, feeling flustered. “We’ve been training a lot. I’ve got my trials in two weeks, and I want to be ready for them.”

“Have they told you what they are?” Kip asked.

“I have to memorize and oath, but I haven’t done that, yet,” Lightning said. “I’ll probably have to prove I can fight, and fly. Edison told me that the Skyknight Council votes on weather or not I actually become a Skyknight.”

“Don’t be nervous,” Mickey said. “You’ll be fine.”

“I know I will be. I’ve been waiting so long for—”

“Hey, Rose!” Flint called out. His shout made Lightning jump. Suddenly, his heart was pounding and adrenaline pulsed through his body. He glanced around the square, looking for the girl with the green eyes. When he found her, they made eye contact, and he tore his gaze away, feeling his cheeks warm.

“She kept saying how much she missed you while you were gone,” Mickey said, leaning closer to Lightning. Her voice had a taunting undertone. Lightning stared at his friend, trying to figure out what her intentions were, and wondering if she could tell he was blushing.

“Yeah, so? And you guys didn’t miss me?”

“We weren’t moping around our strawberry stands all day.”

“Who’s moping?” a new voice said. As quick as his name, Lightning fixed his posture so he stood taller, and lifted his chin to look more important.

“Rose!”

“You look… different.”

“Well, it might be because you haven’t seen me in two weeks,” Lightning said.

“I almost forgot what you looked like.”

“We’ll leave you two to talk,” Mickey said as she grabbed Flint and Kip’s wrists and pulled them away. She winked at Lightning before she disappeared with her two friends in tow.

“So,” Lightning said, turning his attention back to Rose. He scratched the back of his neck, trying to come up with a conversation topic. “Uh, what have you been up to?”

“I’m still selling strawberries.”

“That’s… that’s good.”

“Yeah.”

There was silence between them as Rose stared at the cobblestone streets and Lightning glanced up at the sky.

“What about you?” Rose asked.

“Oh! Me? Well, not much. Just training to be a Skyknight. I’ve got two weeks left.”

“I heard you reclaimed Terra Belenus and captured an army of Talons.”

“Is that what they’re saying about me? Wow. That’s a bit of a stretch.”

“Oh, Really?”

“Well, I didn’t capture a whole army; it was just the Commander of the army and a few Talons.”

“That’s still impressive.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Again, there was silence.

“Have you seen your parents yet?” Rose asked, tilting her head sideways.

“No, not yet. How are they?”

“Your mother really misses you. She’ll want to see you.”

“Have you been spending time with them?”

“She’s lonely. Your father hasn’t spoken much since you left, so she feels really isolated. You really should go see them.”

“I want to see her, but I’m not sure about my dad.”

“Why not?” Lightning kicked a stone with the toe of his boot and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“You know why.”

“I can come with you.” At those words, Lightning looked up to see Rose studying him.

“You’d do that for me?” A soft smile crept across Rose’s face.

“Absolutely. That’s what friends do.”


	8. Lightning Strike Pt 8

Lightning thought he’d probably feel calmer at his trials than walking up to his front door. He felt strange approaching the door, as if he was intruding on someone else’s life, someone that lived in the house his family had moved out of. His old stone house was a reminder of a past life that he didn’t want to reenter.

His hand shook as he turned the knob. He tried to calm his heart rate by focusing on the things that hadn't changed. There were still pegs next to the door where his parent's winter coats hung. His mother's garden boots, worn down and stained by years of walking in the dirt, sat on a mat underneath the hanging coats. The furniture in the den to his right was the same furniture he remembered curling up on as a child. The kitchen table with its matching chairs still stood in the same place. There was still a photo of the three of them hanging by the stairs. His parents had traded their farm clothes for slightly nicer clothing to take the picture. His mother sat in a chair, holding a toddler with thick hair that stood straight up. As a child, Lightning already had a spark of wonder in his eye.

The house was empty when he and Rose stepped over the threshold, but soon after his mother appeared around the corner, wiping her hands on her apron.

“Lightning Strike. Baby, you’re finally home.” Lightning hadn’t realized how much he missed his mother until she was wrapping her arms around him and hugging him in the tightest embrace she could muster. Lightning hugged his mother back, comforted by her natural smell of garden soil, herbs, and cinnamon. He was reminded of the years they spent together canning and baking in the kitchen.

“Look at you,” she said as she held his face with both hands and surveyed his face. ”Oh, I’ve missed you so much. You have to tell me everything. Has Rex been keeping you safe? Did those Cyclonians hurt you?”

“Mom, I’m fine,” Lighting said.

“Come, sit at the table,” Lissie said. Lightning and Rose followed her into the kitchen, where Lighting retold the story of how he and his team saved the Buff Buzzards.

“And then, I got him on his back, and—“

Suddenly, the back door creaked open. Everyone at the table turned their heads. Lightning’s father stood in the doorway, sweaty and caked with dirt after a long day in the fields. He stared at all of them, startled that someone was in his house. However, when he saw his son, his expression changed to someone who was seeing a ghost. Lightning felt self-conscious of his new Skyknight clothes in varying shades of blue, but he wad grateful that he’d taken off his armor before coming home.

“You’re back,” his father said in place of a greeting.

“I'm back."

Neither of the two men smiled. Lightning was afraid to, and Claudius was still in shock.

“He just arrived this afternoon,” Lissie cut in, trying to break the tension that was growing between her husband and her son. “He was the one who saved those Buff Buzzards and captured the army.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, sir,” Lightning replied. He kept his gaze on his father like prey watching a predator, afraid to flinch. Silence filled the room.

“How long you grounded for?”

“A few days. Rex wanted to see his family again.”

“And you didn’t want to see us?”

“Claudius, stop it,” Lissie scolded.

“No, I did; I missed you guys,” Lightning argued.

“Then why didn’t you come back sooner?” his father asked.

“I was fighting Cyclonians!” Lightning said, his voice raising.

“There it is,” Claudius said. His eyebrows knit together on his wrinkled, leathery forehead. “You’re just like him. You’re turnin’ into your idiot uncle. Always too busy tryin’ to kill people that you can’t come visit your own family.”

“Claudius—“

“What was I supposed to do, fly my skimmer across two whole quadrants and abandon my team?” Lightning asked, cutting off his mother.

“You don't forget about your family just 'cause you got new friends.”

“I didn’t forget about you; I got busy.”

“That’s what your uncle said after he was gone for three years.” Claudius said the words with such sharpness that Rose actually flinched in her seat. She watched Lissie, unsure of how to help.

“I was only gone for two weeks!” Lightning said. He stood from the table and added, “Why do you care so much about when Uncle Arlo left? Why do you care when I leave? You never cared when I was around unless I was doing chores to help you.”

“That ain’t true. You’re my boy. I always cared about you.”

“Then let me live my life. Let me be free. Let me grow up.”

The silence that fell upon the room after Lightning spoke felt even heavier because everyone’s voices had progressively gotten louder. Lissie stood up from her chair and cleared her throat.

“Whether we agree on what Lightning has chosen to do with his life or not, we are a family. My boy is home. I want to have supper with him and hear about his past two weeks. Rose, I’d love if you stayed as well.” She put her hand on her son’s shoulder and said, “I refuse to let my son’s decision tear our family apart, Claudius, and I’d appreciate it if you did the same.”

Lightning watched his father, looking for a sign that he would let the whole Skyknight thing go. He knew it was a radical thing to hope for, but he held onto that hope with every fiber of muscle in his body.

“Are those boys keeping you safe out there?” his father finally said. It took all the strength in Lightning’s body to keep his mouth from twitching up into a smile.

“Absolutely. I can always count on Rex and Conall to have my back.”

“Good," Claudius said before he disappeared up the stairs to clean himself up for supper. Lightning glanced at Rose, who was still sitting across from him at the table.

“So...are you staying for dinner?”

***

Lissie was making a stew with a hearty scent that overwhelmed the entire house when Claudius reappeared. Lightning had been talking to Rose in the kitchen, but when he saw his father, he straightened his posture, and his smile faded.

“You and me are having a conversation outside,” Claudius said. Lightning followed him out onto the back porch. The two men did not stand close to one another. Years of tension filled the space between them. Lightning watched his father as he crossed his arms across his chest, then uncrossed them again.

“I’m not happy that you chose this path,” he began. Lightning instantly felt his stomach drop. He had a feeling he knew where this conversation was going. “I know that you want to be like your Uncle Arlo, but don’t. Don’t be like him. Don’t feel like you have to follow in his footsteps.”

Lightning wanted to protest, but he couldn’t find the right words for his argument.

“He may have been a Skyknight, but he sure didn’t act like one,” Claudius continued. “Everything your uncle did was to fuel his own ego. He was so focused on making the Storm Hawks a known name, ‘cause they were so new, they was his new project, and he forgot about everything else. He dragged his squadron around at his heels, just to prove he could settle some justice.”

“Are you just trying to convince me to quit? 'Cause it won't work,” Lightning spat out. Finally, his father turned to look at him. Lightning tried to read his expression, but he was lost in the hard lines on his father's face.

“I want you to be happy, but I don’t want you to think you have to be someone else all the time to get there,” he said. “Don’t go around trying to be like Arlo. I don’t know much about them other Skyknights, but I do know that he did it wrong. And..." he sighed and shook his head at the ground. "I know, I held you back for a long time, ‘cause I was scared of you growing up.”

“Dad, are you giving me your blessing to be a Skyknight?”

“Not yet. First, you gotta prove to me you earned it.”

A smile crept across Lightning’s face. All he wanted was his father’s approval, and now he finally had a chance to get it. He felt the tension of sixteen years of disagreements wash away. He was so overcome with joy that he did something he hadn’t done in many years: he hugged his father.

“Thank you,” Lightning said. “I promise I’ll make you proud.” Claudius was startled by his son’s actions, but he patted his back. It wasn’t complete reconciliation, but there was still a possibility of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think so far!


	9. The Skyknight Trials Pt 1

The next day, Lighting visited Rex. He had to distract himself after a tense and awkward evening at his house.

Rex’s home was only a few blocks down the road, closer to the center of town. The walls were painted white, and the door was the color of rust. Inside, everything was bright, open, and airy. Lightning liked Rex’s house because it reminded him of the _Condor_ , just with stonewalls instead of metal.

“How did he take it?” Rex asked. He, Lightning, and Melanie were seated in the living room, while Ace played with his toys on the rug.

“Not that good,” Lightning said. “He thinks I’m going to abandon the family, and I have to prove I'm not like Arlo.”

“Did he tell you that story?” Rex asked. Ace held up one of his toy skimmers to Lightning.

“Fly,” he said. Lightning joined him, cross-legged, on the ground.

“What story?” Lightning asked. He flew the skimmer around Ace’s head, making engine noises. The toddler giggled and chased after Lightning’s skimmer with his own toy.

“I can’t justify Arlo’s reasoning, but I can tell you what happened from my perspective,” Rex said. “We left to fight a dangerous battle. A few of us in the East Quadrant were joining together, because Cyclonia was threatening to conquer Atmosia. There never was an actual battle, but we patrolled that boundary line for three years before Cyclonia finally signed a peace treaty. While all this was going on, your grandmother fell ill and was gone within a week. Claudius wrote Arlo countless letters, telling him to come home because his family needed him, but he never responded. He refused to leave his post, because he was afraid that the Cyclonians would attack.”

Ace knocked the toy skimmer out of Lightning’s hand with his skimmer.

“Aw, man, he just fell into the Wastelands!” Lightning said to the young child. In his head, however, he was trying to understand why his uncle was so set on battling the Cyclonians.

“Watch out; there’s lava down there,” Ace replied. He started to step on patterns across the rug as if he was jumping between rocks to avoid a river of lava.

“During the last year he was gone, you were born,” Rex added. “Your father was so angry at Arlo that he didn’t let him see you for a month.”

“Yeah, but he had work to do,” Lightning said.

“No, he really didn’t,” Rex said. “Arlo was good at being a Skyknight, but he was probably the most paranoid one of them all. He was a little full of himself, too. You know we don't discriminate over which terra we protect; the Storm Hawks protect all of Atmos. We're the ultimate ally to all of the other squadrons. Arlo believed if he wasn’t in a certain place, the Cyclonians would overtake our allies, and they wouldn’t be able to fend them off alone.” Lighting watched Ace was he ran in a circle around the room. He wondered what other disappointing traits his uncle hid from him. He started to understand why everyone in his squadron seemed hesitant when he suggested they go into battle. They knew their Skyknight had power over them, and now they all had families. They didn’t want to leave them behind.

“I won’t do that to my squadron. They deserve to see their families.” Lightning said. In his mind, he added, _even if I don’t want to see mine._

***

Lightning was eager to get into the air with his squadron again, but he granted his team one more day with their families. He, however, didn’t have much interest in staying home, so he spent the day with Rose. It had been a long time since just the two of them hung out, without all of their other friends around. They grabbed lunch at a local pub, where Lightning told his Skyknight adventure tales to anyone who would listen.

“It was so incredible. I wish you could have been there to see it,” he was saying to Rose. His audience had dispersed after the pub owner noticed the crowd was getting to big and forced them all back to their tables.

“Sounds incredible,” Rose said, taking a sip from her mug. She kept her eyes on the table.

“You… don’t really care about anything I’m telling you, do you?” There was a long pause before Rose spoke.

“I wanted to get off of this terra just as bad as you did, and then, all of the sudden, you got to go out and live your dream, and I was stuck back here for weeks, doing the same things I’d done for years. I guess...it made me jealous for awhile.”

“Do you remember that time we said we’d be on a squadron together?” Lightning asked. At those words, Rose looked up from her cup. “I didn’t forget that promise.”

“You still want me on your squadron?”

“Well, yeah, I mean, after someone retires. It might be a little crowded if you joined up now.” Lightning managed a grin, and Rose giggled at his expression. Then, her face turned sullen again.

“What good would I be on a Skyknight squadron? Mickey can fight, Flint is really strong, and Kip could at least be moral support until he learns more.”

“You’re so useful, Rose,” Lighting reassured her. “Maybe you don’t know how to fight, but you’re fast, and I can teach you everything I know.”

“You’d really do that for me?”

“Of course. What else are friends for?”

Rose seemed to contemplate her drink again before she spoke. Lightning watched her smile grow wide, right before she said, “Can we start today?”

***

The two of them spent the afternoon out in one of the fields. Lightning showed Rose how to wield his sword, and how to use her own body parts to protect herself.

“Let’s do this again,” Lightning instructed. “Ready?” Rose fixed her posture and held her fists close to her face.

“I’m ready.”

“Okay, count of three. One, two—“

Lightning didn’t count the last number; instead, he tried to catch Rose off guard. He tried to place a hit on her shoulder, but she ducked out of the way.

“See, you’re learning,” he said. Rose, dropped her hands and let out a heavy breath. Her forehead was shiny with sweat, but she didn’t want to quit just yet.

“Can you teach me how to take someone down?” she asked.

“Oh. You mean, like this?”

Before Rose could register what he’d said, Lightning already had a hold of her around the waist and was tackling her into a strawberry bush. Rose screamed, but she wasn’t scared. She knew Lightning wasn’t going to hurt her on purpose. Instead, she tried to push him off of her by rolling off to the side. She didn’t realized that the strawberry field was on an incline, and as she tilted one way, she felt Lightning pulling her town with her. The two of them tumbled for about two or three rotations, while Rose screamed and Lighting laughed. When they stopped rolling, Lightning was still on top of her, and as soon as their eyes met, Rose started bursting into laughter. Lightning laughed along with her.

“How’d I do?” Rose asked.

“Well, your opponent is pretty dizzy now.”

“Is that a good thing?” she asked. Lightning met her eyes and smiled.

“In this situation? Absolutely.”

“Lightning!”

He heard his name being called in the distance, and looked up to see Simon bounding through the strawberries. His blue hair wasn’t hard to spot over the bushes of green leaves and red fruit. When he was closer, Simon stopped to put his hands on his knees and catch his breath.

“What’s going on?” Lightning asked, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

“We got a distress call from Xander,” Simon said. “He said the Commander escaped prison. Some Cyclonian spies broke him out, and there’s an army of Talons sitting right on the border of the East and West Quadrants. The Red Eagles are demanding any backup they can get.”

“Did you tell them we’re on our way?” Lightning asked.

“Yeah, Conall and I are trying to round everyone up.”

“I’ll meet you back at the ship,” Lightning said. He stood and held out a hand for Rose, to help her up. Simon hiked back towards the road, but Lightning wasn’t ready to leave yet. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Rose.

“I guess this means you’re leaving again,” Rose said. Lightning grinned at her, hoping to melt the look of disappointment on her face.

“I’ll be back.”

Then, something happened that not even Lightning’s reflexes could prepare him for. Rose stood up on her toes and put both hands on his shoulders, pulling him closer and pressing her lips to his. It only lasted for about a second, but Lighting would replay that moment in his head for hours.

“Good luck,” she said.


	10. The Skyknight Trials Pt 2

It was hard for Lightning to focus his attention on the mission. As the _Condor_ zoomed through smoky white clouds, all Lightning could think about was the light pressure of Rose’s lips on his. She'd been so quick and nervous about it that he could barely recall the soft texture of her mouth against his, testing the waters, unsure, but curious. He didn’t quite understand why it made him so excited. He argued with himself, trying to decide if it meant something. Was she just giving him a friendly "good luck" kiss, or was she trying to tell him something?

“Got it?” Simon said, breaking Lightning out of his trance. He glanced over at the navigation expert, hoping his cheeks just felt warm and didn’t look as red as they felt.

“Uh, no, sorry, I missed that last part,” he admitted. Simon launched right back into the battle plans. He seemed to enjoy talking so much that being ignored didn't bother him too much. Lightning wondered if he was used to his former Skyknight ignoring his plans.

***

When the beacon tower on Atmosia finally came into view, Lightning realized this would not be an easy battle like before. Hundreds of red skimmers swarmed the sky, looking more like an angry group of wasps than an elite army. A few air ships flew around the outskirts of the battle. Half of them were Cyclonian battle airships, but Lightning recognized the emblems of Skyknight squadrons painted on the sides of the other carriers. Seeing so many of his allies prevented him from losing his confidence.

Ulysses, Simon, and Edison stayed on board to man the _Condor’s_ blasters. Lightning launched his skimmer off the runway with Rex and Conall following close behind. Skimmers were flying by in every direction; it was hard for Lightning to focus on individual ones. Even though he was in a more dangerous atmosphere, he found it easier to clear his head. He flew fast, dodging blasts and scanning the horizon for Xander. after a few minutes and no Red Eagle sightings, he switched his radio to the signal all the Skyknights used.

“Xander, it’s Lightning. Where’s the Commander?” he said. After a few seconds, he received a reply.

“On one of those carriers,” Xander said, his voice cutting through static. “Not sure which one yet, but it’ll be impossible to get near them with so many Cyclonians around.”

“It’s not impossible,” Lightning said. He switched his radio back to the channel his squadron used. “Guys, the Commander is on one of those carriers. I’m going to find him. Rex, Conall, I need you guys to be my backup wings.”

“This kid is nuts,” Conall said. With a laugh, he added, “We’ve got you covered.”

Lightning made a wide circle so he could get a better view of all the carriers. The Cyclonian carriers all looked the same— deep, brick red with menacing cannons protruding from almost every side. Lightning had a quick feeling of insecurity, but he tried to shake it off. Even if he didn’t know which carrier the Commander was on, he could figure it out...somehow.

“Any ideas, guys?” he asked into his radio, hoping someone on is team was a step ahead of him. He heard Conall scoff in reply.

“How are we going to get to the Commander? Those carriers are crawling with Cyclonians. It would be a death sentence,” Rex pointed out.

“I’ve taken down carriers before; I can do it again,” Lightning said. He suddenly felt a searing pain in his right arm. He glanced over to see a smoldering sleeve and a burn that covered most of his upper arm. He grasped his arm below the wound and yelped as a searing pain raced through his muscles. When another red blast flew past the nose of his skimmer, Lightning scanned the sky for the Cyclonian attacking him. When he saw one aim his spear at him, he took out his sword and charged. The Cyclonian fired a blast, but Lightning deflected it with his sword. His arm felt as though it was on fire and his wrist felt as if it was being stabbed with thousands of tiny needles, but he flew on, chasing the talon that had branded him. He tried to get close enough to clip the Talon’s wings, but his injury made it harder to hold his sword. Instead, he tried his best to deflect more blasts.

“Mayday—we have a situation,” Xander’s voice said. Lightning glanced down at his radio. Another Skyknight’s voice came through the static, saying, “What’s going on?”

“The Commander’s not on a ship,” Xander announced. “He’s out here with us.”

“I’ve got him,” Lighting said to himself. He abandoned chasing the Talon and started looking for the Commander. He hoped he’d be able to pick out his dark hair and suit among all the other talons. He was the one who took down the Commander first. He should be the one to bring him down again.

“Ah, Carrot Top. There you are,” Lightning heard a voice call out. He whipped his head to the left to see the Commander hovering on a skimmer a few feet below him. Lightning had no idea there were any skimmers in his blind spot. If the Commander had decided to blast Lightning, he’d be done for.

Lightning tried to attack the Commander, but the talon flew just out of his reach. When he circled back, he stopped so he was facing the Commander head on.

“You’re going back to prison today,” he said. He was hoping to annoy the Commander so he’d be inclined to fight him. Instead, the Commander continuously dodged Lightning’s attacks without retaliating.

“I’m not a fan of the food. I'm going home for some better options,” he replied. Lighting was beginning to feel frustrated at the Commander. He knew he could easily take him out if he just would fight back, but all the Commander seemed interested in was dodging attacks and making small talk.

“I’m going to make sure you rot in that prison,” Lightning threatened.

“I don’t think you’ll get the chance,” the Commander said. He veered off to the right, flying so fast that Lightning almost lost track of him in the sea of other skyrides. He pursued the Commander, trying to plan in his head how to take him down. When he finally caught up to the Commander, Lighting lashed out with his sword, trying to ignore the scorching feeling in his arm. It had almost gone numb now, which worried him. If he couldn’t feel his sword, he might not be able to do his Skyknight move.

“Still in training?” the Commander asked as he deflected Lightning’s sword with ease.

“Trust me; I’m going easy on you,” Lightning warned. In his head, he was worried that the Cyclonian armies were receiving much more sophisticated training than the Skyknights. He’d taken down the Commander on land, but could he do the same in the sky?

The two young men fought against each other, filling the air with the ringing noise of metal clashing against metal. Lightning ignored the pain in his arm and focused all his attention on deflecting the Commander’s attacks. He tried every trick Rex had taught him to avoid getting blasted—he sent his skimmer into spiraling barrel-rolls, quick descents, and sharp turns that would have thrown anyone riding with him straight into the Wastelands. He didn’t focus on anything else going on in the air around him; all he wanted to do was take down the Commander.

“I have to say; you fight well for a child,” the Commander said. Lightning was confused by the Commander’s insult, since the Cyclonian looked to be only a few years older than him.

“I have to say, your head’s pretty big for a child,” Lightning shot back. The Commander must have taken offense to Lightning’s insult, because he charged at him, raising his crystal staff to fire at him. Lightning dove out of the way, sending his skimmer into a tailspin. He pulled the controls up, bringing his skimmer back to a safe altitude. The Commander was coming at him again, but Lighting deflected him with his sword. It took all of his strength to prevent his sword from falling out of his injured hand.

Then, with just one blow, the Commander knocked Lightning’s sword from his grip. The Skyknight was defenseless. A new sensation he’d never experienced before pulsed through his body. It was similar to panic, but there was a similar feeling of hopelessness. He was cornered. He was caught.

“Checkmate,” the Commander said, aiming his staff at Lighting. He glanced at something behind Lightning, then grinned. His smile scared Lightning. It was like the smile a madman wore right after killing someone. Lightning did his best to look intimidating, but his right arm was fatigued, and he was without a weapon. He wasn’t sure if the Commander would try to kill him, or just capture him, but he knew he would fight until all of his strength was gone.

“Lightning!” Rex’s voice said through the radio. “The _Condor_!”

Lightning spun around to see the massive airship flying dangerously low in the clouds. He could see black smoke billowing from the right engine.

“You Skyknights think you’re trying to save everyone, but I have news for you,” The Commander said. “Atmos’ future will be Cyclonia soon. One little redheaded Skyknight isn’t going to stop that. You think you’re safe with your little boundaries, and council, and peace treaties.” He pointed his staff at the _Condor_ as it sunk below the cloud layer. “Look at how well that’s working out for you.”

Lightning turned to look back at his squadron’s airship, but when he glanced back at the Commander, he was gone. All the remaining Talons were flying back towards the airships. All around him, Skyknight airships were scattering. Lightning did the only thing he saw reasonable—he dove after the _Condor_ as it descended towards the Wastelands.

“Ulysses, everyone—get to the port side. We’ll pick you up,” Lightning heard Conall say through his radio. He saw Conall and Rex appear, their skimmers zooming towards the left side of the airship as it dove nose-first for the rocky Wastelands. It had started to pick up speed, and Lightning could see the tops of the mountainous rock forms in the Wastelands beginning to emerge. There was no way the three of them would be able to stop the massive airship from falling with their lightweight skimmers. Lightning hoped his crew could safely escape.

“Just let me level her out,” Ulysses said. “I can minimize the impact.”

“No; you need to abandon ship,” Rex called out. He was flying close enough to Lightning that he shouted, “Tell them! You’re the Skyknight.”

At that moment, Lightning hated having so much responsibility. If he allowed Ulysses to try and save the ship from destruction, he could lose his life, killing Edison and Simon in the process. But, if he ordered them to abandon ship, the team could lose the _Condor_ forever. They'd already lost Boone and Arlo. No ship was as important as a squadron member.

“Abandon ship,” Lightning said into the radio without hesitation. “That’s an order.”

He flew next to the left escape hatch and allowed Simon to climb onto the back of his Skimmer. Rex took Ulysses, and Conall took Edison. The three pilots pulled their skimmers up to prevent scraping against the rocky bottom of the Wastelands. As they flew up, Lightning heard one of the loudest metallic noises he’d ever experienced. The _Condor_ crashed into the rocky soil, scraping along for hundreds of feet before finally smashing into a mountain. Lightning couldn’t see much through the dust that collected, but he knew the _Condor_ would not be flying after that landing.

“Well, that could have ended much better,” Simon said.

***

The squadron took refuge on Terra Atmosia. Rex insisted Lightning patch up his arm before they travel back to try and save their airship. Lightning was hesitant, but Rex assured them that they needed a Skyknight in his best condition.

The Atmosian civilians were welcoming to the grounded squadron. Most of them had watched the battle from the safety of their homes, but now, many of them crowded on the streets around some of the other squadrons.

Simon had gone to the Infirmary with Lightning, and he walked with him to the Skyknight Council after the nurses wrapped his arm.

“Do you think we’ll be able to save it?” Lightning asked him.

“I don’t know,” Simon said with a shrug. “I couldn’t tell what happened, but if the engines are all messed up, that ship isn’t going anywhere for a long time.”

“What if something gets to it? I heard there are giant snakes down there,” Lightning said.

“I think it will be fine,” Simon reassured him. They walked up the steps to the massive wooden doors of the Skyknight Council. Inside, hundreds of people stood, listening to one Skyknight’s testimony. It was similar to the town meetings Lightning used to attend with his family back on Sparrow. Anyone had the ability to talk, and when they had the floor, all eyes were on them.

However, when the young Skyknight and his squadron member came in, all the eyes in the room locked on to them. The Skyknight who was speaking stopped mid-sentence. There were about a hundred people in the room, from all over the Free Atmos. Lightning could tell they were all Skyknight Squadrons, because many wore matching uniforms and stood together in groups.

“You are not permitted to participate in the meetings,” one of the old, red-robed councilmen announced. Lightning felt his face growing warm; he wasn’t a fan of being the center of _this much_ attention. Simon put his hand on Lightning’s good shoulder and said, “I’ll fill you in.”

Lightning had never been more embarrassed in his life. The sun was beating down on him, so he found refuge in a large tree that stood in the center of the square outside of the Council building. As he stared out at the rooftops in front of him, he finally understood what defeat felt like. His sword was gone, his squadron was grounded, their airship possibly destroyed, and he couldn’t even attend to the Council meeting. The past two weeks, he’d felt like a true Skyknight, but today had been a reality check for him. He was still standing in temporarily. He couldn’t do all the things the other Skyknights could do.

Sitting up in the tree, hidden by thick, green leaves, Lightning never felt more like a child in his life.

The sun was starting to dip lower in the sky as Skyknights started to emerge from the building. He watched squadron after squadron walk out, all headed to their airships they’d parked on the outskirts of the city. When he spotted his own squadron, he jumped down from the tree and joined them on the street.

“What did I miss?” he asked Rex.

“We’re trying to decide what to do about the Commander escaping,” he replied. “The council is torn. Some squadrons think we should go after the Cyclonians, but most of us think it is a better idea to just accept the loss and move on.”

“Besides that, going into Cyclonian territory is basically suicide,” Simon added.

“Why?” Lightning asked.

“You saw what happened earlier; their army is massive,” Ulysses explained. “They outnumber us at least five-to-one.”

Lightning thought back to what the Commander had told him before he disappeared. The Free Atmos was not as safe as people thought. Today’s battle had just been a rescue mission to free the Commander. If the entire army tried to overthrow the Skyknight Council, the Skyknights wouldn’t stand a chance.

“The council is meeting again next week to try to come to a unanimous decision,” Rex explained. “The Skyknights are going to get together to discuss security matters on the major terras.”

“And I still won’t be able to go,” Lightning pointed out.

“At least it’s just two more weeks,” Edison said.

“Yeah, that’s two weeks we can work on your training and repair the _Condor_ ,” Simon added.

***

The team spent the night on Atmosia. They agreed to check on the _Condor_ first thing in the morning, so they had enough light to fully assess the damage. Nights on Atmosia were cool, just like on Sparrow, but Lightning still ventured out to the square in front of the Council building. He could see the outline of the building in the silver moonlight, looming over him as if it were taunting him: _you can’t come in_.

He found a spot on a low stone wall and laid down across it. He gazed up at the sky above him. Despite some of the clouds, he could see the stars. Lightning used to love lying in the grass behind his house at home, gazing up at the sky. Sometimes, Rose would accompany him when they were younger.

He found himself thinking about her again. He tried to remember every detail of her face—the way her cheeks dimpled when she laughed, the line of freckles that covered her nose and cheeks, and her bright, green eyes.

The more he tried to picture her, the more he started longing to be with her. His skimmer couldn’t make the trip all the way back to Sparrow, and without an airship, he was stuck on Atmosia until he could find another way off the terra.

He heard footsteps walking by, and turned his head, expecting to see a few Atmosians walking by. Instead, he saw his helmsman approaching from across the square. Ulysses’ light beard seemed to glow in the moonlight. Lighting pushed himself into a sitting position as Ulysses came closer.

“Not a fan of sleeping indoors, huh?” Ulysses asked.

“The sky helps me think,” Lightning replied. Ulysses turned his head to the sky, watching the stars twinkle above them.

“Me too. I don’t mind piloting at night; there’s no glare from the sun, and the stars make it easier to navigate.”

“What made you want to become a helmsman for a Skyknight Squadron?” Lightning asked. Ulysses sat down on the wall next to Lightning.

“I always wanted to own my own business,” he explained to the young Skyknight. “I didn’t care if it was selling weapons, clothes, baked goods— I just liked being in control of things.” He glanced at Lightning and added, “Not people, of course. It’s more being in control of my own fate; being able to make my own decisions. About fifteen years ago, I was working in a shop—the kind that sells tools. The owner was about to retire, and he was going to sell the shop to me. You can imagine how excited I was. Then, the Cyclonians came and attacked my terra. They destroyed the shop, and most of the buildings on the street.”

Ulysses paused and seemed to contemplate his next words.

“They killed my wife, and our five children,” he said. “I was one of the few people who were able to escape, because we hid in an underground bunker. The next morning, we came back above ground, and the scene was…devastating.” Ulysses paused for a moment. “No one deserves to see that amount of destruction, to find their wife crushed under a pile of rubble.”

“I’m sorry,” Lightning added. Ulysses gave a small smile.

“I’m lucky to be with the Storm Hawks,” he said. “Every day, I’m out there, driving a massive machine that can stop an army from leveling terras. When I pilot the _Condor_ , I decide my own fate.”

Lightning tried to understand things from Ulysses’ point of view. He couldn’t imagine losing his mother, his friends, even his father. He understood why Ulysses had been so determined to save the _Condor_. It had become his protective armor, his way of coping with his loss. He’d turned his tragedy into a way to help other people. Lightning wasn’t sure if he had the courage to do that.

***

The next morning, the team set out on their skimmers to check on their airship. They few below the cloud layer, scanning the Wasteland floor with their bare eyes. When they finally found the ship, Lightning felt his heart drop into his stomach.

The ship was not completely destroyed, but it did look like it had been in a battle and lost dramatically. The pontoons were dented badly, and the blue hawk symbol on the side was scuffed from dragging across the ground. The windows on the main deck were blown out, and the rudder had completely snapped off. Lightning could see charred edges around the engines.

The team landed near the ship so they could get a better view. Simon walked right up to the side and ran his hand across a scratch on the pontoons.

“It looks like it’s just cosmetic damage,” he said. Lightning watched Ulysses as he approached the airship. Now that he understood how important the ship was to him, he was worried how the helmsman would react to seeing his ship in such a distressed state. However, Lightning had trouble reading Ulysses’ face.

The team went inside to check for any structural damage. The hangar bay was a mess; tools were strewn all across the floor, and Simon’s heliscooter was sporting new dents. Inside, everything seemed to be in tact, other than all the things that had fallen off of shelves and now occupied the floor. One of the pipes had burst, leaking water all down the hallway and into some of the rooms. Up on the main deck, the squadron had to watch their step to avoid getting a piece of glass in their boots.

“It doesn’t look that bad,” Lightning said, trying to be optimistic for his team’s sake.

“We haven’t been down to the engines yet,” Conall pointed out.

The crew made their way to the engine room next. While Conall, Simon, and Ulysses evaluated how much damage had been done, Lightning asked Rex, “How long do you think it will be to repair all of this?”

“Hopefully, if there isn’t major damage done to the engines, it’ll take about a week,” Rex replied. “The _Condor_ is a pretty sturdy ship. It would take a much harder landing than that to finish her off. Ulysses did good.”

“I should have been there when they were attacked,” he said.

“No; you did nothing wrong,” Rex reassured him. "Don’t go beating yourself up on this. It was an accident; it couldn’t have been prevented.”

“The main rotary gear on the starboard engine is completely shot, and there's some fire damage on the exhaust,” Simon announced. All the Storm Hawks groaned, except for Lightning.

“What does that mean?” he asked.

“It means we picked a great place to crash land, because we’ll be here long after your knighting ceremony,” Simon said.


	11. The Skyknight Trials Pt 3

Ulysses and Conall were eager to get the _Condor_ flying again. They worked with Simon to get replacement parts ordered so they could get the airship out of the Wastelands as soon as possible. Lightning worked with his team to clean up the interior of the airship. They mopped up the water and patched the broken pipes, and swept up all the broken glass. Simon brought his heliscooter to Atmosia for repairs and had it working by the end of the day.

In the evenings, Lightning spent his time in the library. He worked with Edison and Simon to memorize the oath he would recite during his ceremony. He was amazed at the length of the oath; he didn’t realize it was eight lines long. He expected the oath to be as short as the pledge he made when he became a temporary Skyknight.

“Try it again,” Simon said one afternoon. Almost a week had passed since the _Condor_ crashed into the Wastelands. Ulysses, Conall, and Rex were down in the Wastelands, working on the exterior damage to the _Condor_. Edison rested his elbows on the table and his head in his hands, looking like he would fall asleep at any moment. Simon, on the other hand, was wide awake, leaning back in his chair with his feet propped up on the table and a book in his lap. Lightning stood leaning against the table across from them. He took a deep breath, stood up straight, and began speaking.

“I, Lightning Strike, am prepared to fulfill my duties as—“

“Don’t pace,” Simon instructed. Lightning stopped walking back in forth in front of the table.

“It helps me remember what comes next,” Lightning argued.

“Then find some way to memorize it that doesn’t involve moving,” Edison muttered. Lightning took another heavy breath and started again.

“Shoulders back,” Simon interjected.

“Can’t I just focus on the words right now?” Lightning asked.

“You have eight days to memorize these eight lines,” Simon said. “I don’t think you want to stand up there looking like an idiot at your own Knighting Ceremony when you forget the words.”

“Eight days—that’s one line a day,” Lightning said. I already have the first three down.”

“Okay, break time,” Edison said, sitting up straight. He reached his arms up to the ceiling in a long stretch.

“Let’s go check on the _Condor_ ; see how the guys are doing,” Lightning suggested. Simon sighed quietly and closed his book.

“I guess we can take a short break.”

***

According to Ulysses, repairs to the _Condor_ were going well. The three men had patched up most of the damage to the exterior. They’d located the rudder about a hundred feet away, and were able to reattach it to the airship. Rex even had a surprise for Lightning.

“Look what I found stuck on top of a cliff,” he said, presenting Lightning with his sword. His arm was no longer causing him pain, so he spun his sword around a few times.

“The striker crystal is still in it,” he pointed out.

“That’s good craftsmanship, designing that chamber to hold the crystal so tightly,” Rex said. “You’re lucky.”

The squadron examined the rest of the ship. The engines were disassembled and in pieces that littered the floor of the engine room. Ulysses had covered the open windows with tarps to protect the airship from any invaders. Things were moving along, but the process was slow.

“Maybe we’ll have it done before my ceremony,” Lightning said, trying to stay optimistic for his team.

“Maybe,” Rex said. He put his hand on Lighting’s shoulder and added, “I need to speak with you about something.” He led Lightning into the hallway. “Your knighting ceremony… it’s not just a ceremony.”

“What do you mean?” Lightning asked, watching his uncle’s best friend with curiosity.

“There ceremony comes second. First, you have to finish the trials.”

“I thought the oath and the trials were the same thing.”

“Not exactly. The trials test your abilities, and the ceremony is your actual induction. If you don’t pass the trials, you can’t be knighted.”

“Okay,” Lightning said, fighting back his annoyance. “Would have been nice if Simon told me about the trials earlier. What are they?”

“No one knows,” Rex said, making Lightning’s heart rate speed up. “The Council is very secretive about that portion; they never tell anyone what they’ll have to do. Arlo said he had to swear never to tell anyone. I do know some about it from what he did tell me. He says his trials were based on four separate aspects: _Valor_ , _Strength_ , _Merit_ , and _Weakness_.”

“Weakness?” Lightning said the word like a question. “How could that be something they’d want to try us on?”

“Arlo said it exposes all of your biggest weaknesses,” Rex explained. “If a Skyknight has too many weaknesses, it could be fatal. I think the reasoning is that you can’t truly know yourself if you don’t know every side of yourself. It goes along with the idea of spirituality.”

Lightning thought hard about Rex’s explanation. He had trouble trying to come up with a weakness—after all, he was fast, strong, and a kind person. He tried his best to put others first and keep a level head. Whatever his weakness was, he was afraid to discover it.

***

That afternoon, the squadron arrived back on Atmosia to find letters waiting for them from their families. Lightning had two—one from his mother, and one from Rose. He decided to open Rose’s first, since it was her name on the paper that excited him the most.

> _Lightning,_
> 
> _First, I just want to say that I ~~hope you’re~~ I'm glad you're okay. I heard what happened a few days ago, and I’m sorry you lost the _Condor _. I hope you can find a way back to Sparrow soon. ~~I mis~~ Everyone seems to be missing you. Your parents are fine, so don’t worry about them. Your mother is still trying to get used to you not being around, but ~~I’m sure~~ she’ll manage. She's very strong, you know. I think that's where you get it from. _
> 
> _Mick has been showing me some of the moves you showed her. I’m really good at disarming someone now!_
> 
> _Good luck at your Knighting, and hope to hear from you soon,_
> 
> _~~Lov~~ _
> 
> _Sincerely,_
> 
> _Rose_

Lightning didn’t want to call the feeling rising in his throat disappointment, but that’s what it felt like to him. He was hoping for a much longer letter, maybe even with some brooding over his absence thrown in. Still, Rose had bothered to write to him, so at least that was something.

To distract himself, Lightning read his mother’s letter.

> _Dear Lightning_ ,
> 
> _I’m so grateful to hear that all of you are safe! Melanie told me about the letter Rex sent her yesterday, explaining how you all got out in time before the_ Condor _crashed. Hopefully you can get it running again and be back before your ceremony._
> 
> _We miss you very much. It's very quiet in the house these days. Your father is doing fine. We both are. I think he’s coming around to the Skyknight idea, so things ought to be easier now when you visit. If I don’t see you before your ceremony, good luck. You are such an intelligent young man, and you'll be great._
> 
> _I am so proud to call you my son._
> 
> _Love always,_
> 
> _Ma_

This letter gave Lightning much more comfort. He was worried his parents would be upset if they didn’t know he was alive. He was grateful Melanie was keeping his mother up to date with the squadron’s status. His mother’s words also reminded him of his upcoming trials. He was unsure about his knighting now than before. Would he be ready?

***

Lightning spent the remaining eight days focusing on his strengths. He worked with Rex and Conall to perfect his Skyfu fighting. Rex warned him against using any of his special moves he’d developed as they practiced in the courtyard of the inn where they were staying.

“They will be looking for precision, not creativity,” Rex said. “Every move you make had to be seamless.”

Lightning’s squadron gave him as much advice as they could. It was Ulysses’ words, however, that had the biggest impact on him.

“The Council is rooted in tradition,” he told Lightning one evening. “Everything they do is based on hundreds of years of practices. The trials are designed completely around tradition. It’s more to show you how the Skyknights of ancient times functioned; it's not about being innovative. Our squadron has always been pushing boundaries. Because we’re so new, we have no ties to tradition other than our registration with the Council. When you walk through those doors in two days, you won’t be a Storm Hawk. You’ll be a Skyknight candidate. You have to act like one.”


	12. The Skyknight Trials Pt 4

On the day of Lightning’s sixteenth birthday, he woke to rays of sun shining through the window. As his sense adjusted to the world around him, he quickly realized the importance of this day. In just a few hours, he would undergo the fateful Skyknight Trials. He’d been waiting sixteen years for this day, but now that it was here, Lightning was not as excited as he thought he’d be. Instead of focusing on the triumphs of becoming knighted and becoming an official Skyknight and Storm Hawk, all Lightning could think about were the consequences of failure. He feared if he did not pass the trials, he would be stuck on Terra Sparrow harvesting wheat for the rest of his life. The panic was slowly bubbling up in his stomach.

However, his determination forced him to get out of bed and change his perspective. He was going to become a Skyknight today. He was going to save lives.

Atmosia didn’t acknowledge knighting ceremonies in the city in any special way, but many people had caught word of it happening, and huddled in the square that morning. Lightning was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a crowd of people cheering him on as he made his way towards the Council building. Instead, a normal sized crowd occupied the streets. Most people watched as he and the Storm Hawks walked by, but most did nothing more than wave and smile. Atmosians were used to Skyknights being around all the time, so they did not treat them like celebrities, like other terras did. To them, Lightning’s ceremony seemed like any other normal day.

The Red Eagles met the Storm Hawks at the Council Building to wish Lightning luck. Xavier shook his hand and told him, “I’m looking forward to fighting alongside you again.”

“Thanks,” Lightning said, hoping it would actually happen one day. He turned to his squadron, who all watched him with proud expressions. No one looked worried or confused, which made him relax a little. He’d always viewed these men with respect, because they were his uncle’s friends. In the past month, they’d become his friends as well. Soon, they would become his squadron. If his entire squadron believed in him, then there was no reason why he shouldn't.

“You’ll be great,” Rex said with a hand on Lightning’s shoulder.

“Just do your best,” Conall said, lightly punching his good arm.

“Don’t forget the oath!” Simon added.

“Remember, it’s tradition, not innovation,” Ulysses said.

“Don’t forget to breathe,” Edison said slowly with wide wide eyes.

Lightning nodded to his squadron. Everyone placed their hands on Lightning’s shoulders, the squadron’s symbol for friendship and comfort. Lightning took a deep breath. As he let it back out, the hands left his shoulders. He pushed the double-doors open to meet his fate.

The Council building looked the same as it did the day Lightning registered as a temporary Skyknight. The Councilmen sat behind their high podium, watching Lightning as if he was a bug crawling across the rug, examining how they would squish him. At least, that’s how Lightning felt under their gaze.

“Speak your intentions,” The head councilman said.

“My name is Lightning Strike, and I seek Skyknighthood,” he said. His words came out unsure, since he had not prepared any kind of statement and was unsure of how to respond.

“Lightning Strike, we have reviewed your proposal for Skyknighthood, and find that you meet all the requirements to proceed to the trials. They will commence in ten minutes. Please proceed to the trial room.” A second councilman spoke these words, then pointed to a door on Lightning’s left. Lightning was anxious to find out what lay beyond the door. His fear had left him, and was replaced with an anxious desire to start his trials. He was ready to find out what his _Merit_ , _Strength_ , _Virtue_ , and _Weakness_ would be.

Lightning pressed the door open to reveal a winding staircase that descended into darkness. As Lightning climbed down the stairs, he felt the temperature dropping around him. The trial room must have been deep underground, far away from any curious citizens or squadron members. Lightning was completely alone.

At the base of the stairs, Lightning walked through an archway lit with crystal torches to reveal a massive room. The room spanned as far as the _Condor’s_ runway, and was probably as wide as the _Condor_ from one pontoon to the other. He suddenly felt very small in the room, but he didn’t let his fear stop him. He heard the councilmen’s steps on the stairs, and he knew for certain that there was no turning back.

“First, you will be tried on your sense of Merit,” the first councilmen explained. The three men walked towards a podium similar to the one up on the above floor. “You will navigate obstacles in darkness. You have one hour to succeed. If you give up, you reveal that you have no Merit, and do not deserve Skyknighthood. Please stand in the center of the room.” Lightning walked towards the white square painted on the stone floor in the middle of the room. The second both feet were inside the square, all the crystal torches in the room went out. Lightning heard a scraping sound of metal against stone, coming from everywhere around him. He wondered if the walls were moving. He tried to focus on the sounds, to see if any of them were approaching him quickly, but without his sense of sight, he couldn't distinguish anything. He felt paralyzed and as if he was being hunted.

Lightning glanced at the room around him, trying to figure out which way to go. Back home on Sparrow, Lightning would rely on the location of the sun, the wheat fields, the strawberry fields, and specific buildings to point him in the right direction. In the darkness, he had no landmarks to look for. However, he did have a striker crystal and a sword.

Lightning lit up his sword and held it in front of him, bathing the space around him in a dim, blue glow. He found himself completely surrounded by high walls. The walls were made of metal, too high to jump over, and too smooth to climb. However, there were openings in the walls that led to more metal walls. Lightning realized he was in the heart of the maze, and he had less than sixty seconds to get out.

The halls of the maze were narrow. Lightning’s eyes began to adjust in the dim light, but he still found himself at many dead ends. With no time pulse or sun to tell time, Lightning wasn’t sure how much he’d already used. He tried to ignore his panic, and instead focused on trying to find his way out.

After navigating the maze for an uncertain amount of time, Lightning turned a corner and saw a faint, yellow light ahead of him. He followed his instincts and walked towards it, finding himself face-to-face with the councilmen. The men were talking quietly amongst each other, but when they noticed the light from Lightning’s sword, they quickly stopped speaking. The men looked at him in disbelief.

“How did you complete the maze so fast?” one of the councilmen asked. Lightning glanced at his sword, then back at the councilmen. Would they disqualify him for using his weapon to guide him?

“I… found my own way around the darkness,” he said. He waited patiently as the councilmen mumbled to one another. Finally, the lead councilman said, “The council concurs that the candidate passed the first trial of Merit.”

The lights came back on and the maze walls moved into creases in the stone walls. As Lightning squinted in the bright light, he grinned. He felt a little dazed, still not sure how he'd managed to pass. The panic was starting to fade away.

One trial down, only three to go.

“The second trial will test your sense of Strength,” the councilman said. “Please demonstrate your knowledge of the traditional fighting style, Skyfu.” Lightning grinned again, grateful he spent so much time with Conall and Rex perfecting his technique. This trial would be no problem.

He bowed to the councilmen and performed a routine of kicks, flips, jabs, and footwork, trying to focus on his form rather than his speed. He knew he’d need to be faster when he was out fighting Cyclonians, but right now, form mattered more. He finished his routine and held his last pose for a few extra seconds before bowing to the councilmen, confident he passed his second trial. There was silence as the councilmen conversed again. Then, the lead councilmen spoke.

“The council concurs that the candidate's formation was seven seconds too long.”

“What? You never said there was a time limit!”

The words escaped Lightning’s mouth in a high-pitched squeal. He felt something drop from his chest into the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t believe he would fail his trial over a few seconds. He watched as one of the councilmen whispered something into the lead councilmen’s ear.

“Yes, but… I see.” The councilman’s expression changed to annoyance. “Very well.” He turned to Lightning. “The Council concurs that the candidate passed the second trial of Strength, due to fluidity of movement.”

Lightning let out a breath of relief. He wasn't quite sure how he'd managed to be so fluid, but at least his careful movements had saved him. All he had to worry about now was his Weakness. He had a feeling Virtue would not be a challenge, since he thought his morals were considered good.

“The third trial will test your sense of Virtue,” the lead councilman said. The third councilmen left the podium and walked towards Lightning, carrying a small pouch. He reached inside the pouch and pulled out a small, dark, purple crystal.

“This is an oblivion crystal,” the councilman explained. “It will wipe your memory of everything you know for five minutes. You will have to choose between three crystals that will be presented to you.” Lightning felt uneasy at the idea of his memory being wiped, but he didn’t have a long chance to think about it. There was suddenly a bright light, and Lightning was standing in a large room by himself. In front of him on a table lay three crystals: a blue, egg-shaped crystal, a green, diamond-shaped crystal, and a golden, oval-shaped crystal. Beyond the table, three men watched him. He tried to remember how he got where he was, but he couldn’t. Who are these men in such strange clothes?

“In front of you are three crystals,” one of the men said. “The blue one will protect an innocent person from harm. The green will bring misfortune to enemies. The third will bring you wealth. Chose one.”

Lightning stared at the crystals in front of him, confused as to why he had to choose a crystal in the first place.

"Why do I have to pick one?"

"Just choose," the man said. Lightning wondered what he'd done to make this man so annoyed.

He tried to think of a reason for choosing each crystal. He closed his eyes to help himself think. He couldn’t think of anyone who needed his help, so he wasn't sure about the blue crystal. He couldn’t think of any enemies he had, so he probably didn't need the green crystsl. He couldn’t remember if he was rich or poor, so he wasn’t sure if he would need the golden crystal. Still, having wealth seemed like the best option. Lightning reached for the golden crystal, then stopped his hand right before his fingertips brushed the edge. He probably didn’t need wealth, and he figured whatever his situation was, he could probably find wealth on his own. He didn’t need a crystal to help him get it.

“I chose the blue,” Lightning said, picking up the blue crystal from the table. “Who does it save from harm?”

Then, Lighting felt a strange sensation of waking up, where all his memories flooded back to him. He remembered his parents and friends at home, and his squadron waiting for him above ground. He wondered if one of them was in trouble.

“The Council concurs that the candidate passed the third trial of Virtue,” the lead councilman said. “You chose wisely, young Skyknight. Hopefully you can do the same in your next trial. The fourth trial will test your Weakness. If you possess too many weaknesses, the Council will refuse your proposal for Skyknighthood, and you will fail your fourth trial.”

Lightning didn’t like the severity of the councilman’s voice. He wasn’t sure how the trial would test his weaknesses, and he didn’t think it would be fair of them to judge him on something he may not be able to control. Still, he had to try. His squadron was counting on him. His terra was counting on him. All of Atmos was counting on him.

A panel in the stone wall suddenly moved, revealing a strange, glowing creature. Lightning switched on his sword and prepared himself for battle. However, instead of seeing a glowing monster like he expected, he saw the form of Ace tottering across the stone floor come into focus. Lightning glanced all around him, confused. How had his godson suddenly appeared? He had a sense that he was somewhere far away from home, and someone was near, but he couldn’t see anyone around him.

“Light!” Ace said. The young toddler couldn’t say his godfather’s full name yet. Lightning watched his godson teeter closer to him, wobbling on his small legs.

“What’re you doing here?” Lightning asked him. Then, Lightning heard a loud, crumbling noise. The floor between him and Ace opened up to reveal a deep, dark cavern. Ace was still walking towards Lightning, but now a massive hole blocked his path.

Ace, no, stop walking,” Lightning said, but the toddler did not obey. The hole was too far for Lightning to jump, so he backed up a few paces and spun his sword in his arm. The tingling feeling pulsated through his body, and Lightning launched himself off of the floor and into the air, ignoring how sore his injured arm felt. He flew right over the hole and towards Ace, grabbing the toddler before he fell into the cavern. When Lightning landed, however, his arms were empty, and Ace was nowhere to be seen. Lightning was sure he’d saved his godson; he remembered holding the small child as he fell to the ground. Instead, he heard a familiar voice.

“How could you betray your family like that?” Claudius shouted. Lightning saw his father standing over him, his face shaded from the sun by his fraying straw hat. “You’re a disgrace."

"Dad? What are you doing here?"

"You have no place in this family anymore. You’re not my son,” Claudius spat. The words landed on Lightning like venom.

“I’m saving people,” Lightning said. “How can you not see that?”

“Skyknights are stupid,” Claudius said.

“No, they’re not.”

“Big-headed, arrogant—“

“You said you were proud of me!” Lightning shouted. “How could you lie to me like that?” Lightning watched as his father suddenly dissolved into nothing, and he was alone in a dark room. Lightning turned in circles, trying to figure out where his father went, but there was no sign of life anywhere, just stone walls.

“Lightning.”

He heard her voice. It sounded softer than usual, almost strained. Lissie was standing off in a corner of the room, hunched over. She looked delicate and sickly, so Lightning rushed to her side. When he was just one step away, Lissie faded into the darkness. Lightning reached through empty air, trying to grasp onto any trace of his mother. Seeing her look so frail scared him. He didn’t understand why people were appearing and disappearing, and why they seemed so out of place on Atmosia. Was this an illusion from a crystal?

Lightning didn’t have much time to worry over his mother, because he turned around to see his entire squadron seated on the stone floor with their backs together. Their hands were tied behind their backs, and their ankles were tied together. Lightning was about to run to their aide, but something stood in his way. The Commander of the Cyclonian army stood before him with his staff pointed right at Lightning.

“You’ll have to go through me,” he said. Lightning pulled out his sword, ready to fight, when the Commander dissolved into thin air. Lighting spun around, looking for him, but all he could see was his squadron. Then, he realized something strange about them.

“Uncle Arlo?” he said, his uncle’s name coming out like a question. Lightning couldn’t believe it, but tied up with his own squadron was his dead uncle, looking alive and well… other than being tied up. That’s when Lightning heard a scream. He saw the Commander advancing on someone, and the sight made his heart rise up into his throat.

Rose was cornered, defenseless. Lightning knew what was happening. He was being forced to choose between the people he cared about most, even the ones he couldn’t save. The thought sickened him; he never thought he’d be in a position where he had to pick one person to save while everyone else died.

“This isn’t real,” he sad out loud, understanding what was going on. Something was causing these hallucinations. Lightning quickly found out just what it was.

In an instant, Rose and the Storm Hawks vanished. The Commander morphed into a glowing figure more gruesome than Lightning had ever seen before in his life. The creature appeared to be a woman in rags with untidy hair and glowing, white eyes. It reminded Lightning of the demons in horror stories he and his friends used to tell when they were children.

Lighting raised his sword and charged at the creature, but she merely dissolved into glowing dust. All around him, the trial room appeared, along with the podium holding the three councilmen. Lightning noticed they all covered their ears with muffs.

“I was beginning to worry about you on this last trial,” the lead councilmen explained. “However, the Council concurs that the candidate has made a noble effort to resist the siren, therefore able to control his weaknesses. Congratulations, Lightning Strike of the Storm Hawks. You’ve passed your final trial, and will be knighted in the ceremony later tonight.”

Lightning couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He’d heard stories of sky sirens before, of how they destroyed air ships and led squadrons to their doom, sometimes insanity. He just proved he could resist one, and whatever weaknesses he had. He couldn’t figure out what his weakness was, but at that moment, he didn’t care. He passed his trials. He was about to become a Skyknight for real this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At last, we get to see what the infamous Skyknight trials are like.


	13. The Skyknight Trials Pt 5

When Lightning opened the doors to the square outside, he was surprised to see the sun was still high in the sky. He thought his trial lasted well into the late afternoon, and was expecting a setting sun. Judging by the sun’s position, he had only missed lunch by an hour or two.

In the center of the square, the Storm Hawks had gathered on benches, talking with each other. Simon was the first to see Lighting emerge.

“He’s back!” Simon said, popping off the bench and running over to greet Lightning. The other members followed closely behind, Edison being the last, since he’d been lying on a bench with his head dangling upside down. Lightning didn’t have to tell his squadron the news; they could read it in his proud smile. Simon offered him a high-five. Conall patted him on the back. Rex squeezed his shoulder. Together, the Storm Hawks celebrated their newest victory.

That evening, Conall sent out a radio message to Sparrow, telling everyone the news and informing them that their squadron would be home the next day. The _Condor_ still needed some repairs, but it could safely make the trip to Sparrow, where the team could finish fixing everything. Lightning and Simon took a victory lap in their skyrides around the Terra before the ceremony. Lightning mostly wanted to get some fresh air after spending so long underground.

Later, as the sun sank low in the clouds and dipped behind the edge of the terra, the Storm Hawks headed for the Skyknight Council Building. This time, they met a large crowd of people. It seemed like everyone on the Terra was in the square outside. Many people waved to Lightning and shook his hand, congratulating him.

“Wow. Word travels fast here,” he said.

“Everybody loves a good Syknight Knighting,” Simon said, pushing his goggles back on top of his head. The Storm Hawks wore their full battle armor, a tradition for Knighting ceremonies. Lightning wore some of his uncle’s armor. He was looking forward to getting his own soon.

“When a Skyknight is knighted, it’s like another piece of Atmos is rising up to right in the resistance,” Rex said. “You’re not just a symbol of the Storm Hawks. You’re about to become a symbol for Terra Sparrow, and all of the free Atmos.”

Inside the building, the Red Eagles gathered, along with some other Squadrons from nearby terras. Among them, the Rex Guardians stood in their sand-colored uniforms and golden armor. Lightning had never met the Guardians before, but they looked like a respectable squadron. He scanned the room, observing all of the squadrons, and silently hoping he would soon become as good of friends with them as he was his own squadron.

The councilmen stood in front of their podium. One held the same sword Lightning was temporarily knighted with before. Another held a massive book at his side. When Lightning reached the center of the room, the councilman with the book retreated behind the podium. He opened the book and started turning the pages. Lightning saw water stains and wrinkles on the pages. To him, the book looked well over a hundred years old. The head councilman raised his arms, and the chatter in the room dissolved into silence. He lowered his arms and spoke.

“Skyknights, Squadrons, we have gathered to witness the Knighting of a young candidate to Skyknighthood. Candidate, please recite the Skyknight Oath.”

Lightning swallowed, but his throat felt dry. He was sure he knew all the words, but he was still nervous. However, after his trials earlier this morning, he figured he could handle reciting a few words.

Lightning formed a fist with his hand, crossed his right arm over his heart, and said:

“ _I, Lightning Strike of the Storm Hawks,_

_Am prepared to fulfill my duties as Skyknight of the Storm Hawks._

_I pledge my allegiance to the Free Atmos_

_And will defend it with honor, courage, and strength._

_I vow to protect the people without prejudice,_

_to preserve the peace,_

_to uphold the values of the Council,_

_and to execute the traditions of Skyknighthood._ ”

The lead councilman smiled warmly in a way that seemed very out of character for him to Lightning, and instructed the young Skyknight to kneel. He gripped the hilt of the thin sword and tapped Lightning’s shoulders.

“Lightning Strike of Terra Sparrow, rise as Skyknight of the Storm Hawks.” Lightning followed the councilman’s instructions and stood up, then turned to face the crowd. Five squadrons clapped and cheered. Lighting noticed Simon and Edison whooping in the front row. Xander smiled and nodded to him.

Lightning signed his name in the massive, old book on the podium. Then, the squadrons dispersed into the square. Outside, a huge crowd greeted them. Lightning shook more hands than he thought was possible.

“Congratulations,” Xander said when he shook Lightning’s hand.

“Thank you.”

“What does it feel like to be official?”

“The same, actually,” Lightning said with a laugh. He shrugged his shoulders, feeling like a child compared to the man speaking to him. He was still trying to understand the concept that he was now the same rank as Xander.

“It’ll definitely take some getting used to,” the older Skyknight said. “I was knighted two years after your uncle. We both learned the ropes together, but he helped me out a lot. If you ever need any help, you know what radio channel to find me on.”

“Of course.”

“Will you and your squadron be sticking around tonight?”

“No; we promised our terra we’d be home by tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, well, if you change your mind, the Red Eagles were planning on hosting a celebration in honor of the newest Skyknight to join the resistance for the free Atmos. It would be wise to stay one more night. No sense flying a damaged airship so far in the dark.”

“Oh, wow, thank you.” Lightning glanced around the crowd, finding a few members of his squadron. He knew everyone was as eager to get home and get back to work as he was, but it seemed rude to refuse an invitation to a party for himself.

“We’ll see you there.”

***

The squadron decided to raise the _Condor_ from the wastelands before celebrating with the other squadrons. It made more sense to park the ship on the terra so they would have an easier departure in the morning. Lightning, Rex, and Conall flanked the _Condor_ in their skimmers, ready to perform any rescues if the ship had any issues. Lightning waited patiently as Ulysses started it up. The engines made a creaking noise. Something struggled to turn fast enough. Metal ground against metal. After the fourth attempt, glowing blue crystal energy shot from the back of the crystal converters, and the ship lifted into the air. Ulysses steered slowly, careful not to jerk the helm too much. With the _Condor_ landed safely on Atmosia, the crew headed back into the city for the celebration.

“We’ll have to take it slow going home tomorrow, but as long as the weather is fair, she should be able to make the trip,” Ulysses explained to Lightning.

“When will she be battle-ready again?” Lightning asked.

“A week, at least.”

“We'll be grounded for that long?”

“I know you want to get right to work, but it’s better to have a working airship than to jump into every opportunity for a fight,” Ulysses said.

“Then my first order of business as Skyknight is to fix the _Condor_ once we get back to Sparrow,” Lightning said. “But, we will also improve it. I want the _Condor_ to be the fastest airship in all of Atmos. That way, we can always be where we need to be, and no Cyclonian ship can outrun us.”

***

The _Condor_ usually ran quietly, with just muffled engine sounds and low vibrations. The morning after Lightning’s knighting, the airship was making more noise than a squadron in battle. Besides the typical engine sounds and rumbling noises, the crew endured the rushing sounds of gusts blowing past panels that weren’t entirely sealed yet. Besides that, the ship seemed to have developed a habit of lurching in the same way a skimmer did when shifting gears.

Simon spent all morning in the _Condor’s_ bathroom, but the navigator’s absence didn’t affect Ulysses, who had flown between Sparrow and Atmosia many times before.

“Is Simon bothered by all the jerky movements?” Lightning asked Ulysses. The helmsman smirked at the young Skyknight, as if he’d just told him a joke.

“He’ll be fine; he had a rough night.”

“Rough? He went one-for-one with Xander all night,” Edison pointed out. He had to yell over the _whooshing_ sound of air whistling through the cracks.

“He’s learning the consequences of engaging in drinking games with experienced squadron members,” Ulysses said.

“Simon’s experienced,” Lightning said, defending his friend.

“With charts, sure,” Edison added. “But when it comes to liquor… he doesn’t hold it well.” Lightning let out a laugh. After a few seconds of staring at the clouds out the _Condor’s_ new windows, he announced he would be back and disappeared to the hangar bay. There, he found Rex cleaning up the tools and storage crates.

“I bet you’re ready to go home,” Lightning said, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms.

“Yeah. I’ll be back in time for Ace’s birthday,” Rex said.

“Oh, that’s good.” Lightning tuned into the cranking noises coming from the ship’s engines. “The ship’s holding up exceptionally well.”

“Yeah, she’s a tough one,” Rex said with a grin.

“How old is it?”

“The _Condor_? About… a hundred years old,” Rex said. “We got her the same year we formed up. Everyone’s got some kind of attachment to her now.” Lightning stared at the walls around him, wondering if he would one day know the _Condor_ as well as his squadron did. He would never admit it to Rex, but he still felt out of place as Skyknight. It was strange to him that these men with much more experience than him were also expected to take orders from him. One day, he knew he'd be in a position where it wouldn't make him uncomfortable to give the men orders. Until then, he'd still be the rookie.

***

A few hours later, Lightning caught a glimpse of his home through the clouds. The fields were plowed and the strawberry patches looked entirely green from so far up in the air. Ulysses flew the _Condor_ over the terra before landing in their spot just outside of town. Lightning descended the ramp first, eager to find his friends. When he reached the ground, Lightning faced a crowd of the loudest cheers he’d ever heard, even louder than the crowd on Atmosia. He saw his mother standing next to Melanie and Ace, and walked towards her. Lissie’s eyes were shining with tears, and her grin was so wide that Lightning though she would burst into laughter. He embraced his mother in a tight hug, holding onto her for longer than usual.

“I’m so proud of you,” she said. She let go of her son to grab his face and add, “And I’m so glad you’re all safe!” Lightning beamed at his mother, then turned his attention to his father. Claudius appeared to have new lines on his leathery face, more grey hairs sprouting from his dark, auburn beard, and an aura of exhaustion. Lightning had never seen his father look so tired before. Claudius usually looked tired at the end of every day, but this tiredness looked like that of a seasoned Skyknight who had seen many battles and horrible things happen.

“You’re back,” he said. Lightning wasn’t sure if he should hug his father or not, so he offered his hand for Claudius to shake. His father just frowned at him. Lightning dropped his hand.

“Is this going to become a regular thing, where you acknowledge my existence, and then just scowl at me?” Lightning snapped. Claudius stayed silent, staring at his son with disappointment in his eyes. “My squadron could have died. I just became a Skyknight. Don’t you have anything to say about that?”

“Take a look around you, Son,” Claudius said. “All these people you see are your responsibility now. You have to keep them safe, understand? Don’t let me down.” His answer shocked his son. Lightning wasn’t sure how to respond right away.

“Y-yes, sir-gah!”

Someone tackled Lightning to the ground, but his reflexes took over and he pushed his attacker off of him, pinning her to the ground. When he recognized Mick, he immediately apologized and helped her up.

“You’ve been doing some serious training, haven’t you?” Mick taunted as she brushed dirt off of her knees.

“Are you okay?”

“Please; I could do much worse to you.” She punched him in the shoulder to prove her point, but unfortunately for Lightning, she'd chosen his burnt arm that was still healing. He was able to hide his bandages under his sleeve, but he couldn't hide the grimace that flashed across his face and the grunt that escaped from his mouth.

“Don’t play with me; I just went through my trials,” he said, trying to play it off. If Mick had noticed he was in pain, she didn't say anything.

“So, when do I get to be part of your team?” Mick asked.

“Oh,” Lightning started. He scratched the back of his neck, trying to find the right words to say. He already decided that he didn’t want to bring on any new squadron members until he learned the ropes on his own. “Well, I…” He trailed off when he locked eyes with someone in the crowd. “I’ll let you know.”

Lighting broke away from his friend, maneuvering through the crowd like a Skyknight dodging talons. When he reached Rose, she opened her mouth, as if she was going to say something. However, Lightning didn’t give her the chance to speak; he pulled her close by the small of her back and kissed her. That familiar feeling of adrenaline like an electric shock coursed through his body. He didn’t care who was watching him in the crowd.

When they parted, Lightning stared at Rose’s emerald eyes, and with a goofy grin on his face, announced, “I’m back.”

***

Terra Sparrow knew how to throw a party. It looked as if everyone on the terra had been preparing for a celebration all day. Streamers, ribbons, and strings of lights hung from every balcony, draping the streets in a curtain of colorful fabric and lights. The town square turned into a massive dance floor, with tables of food surrounding it. Almost every cook on the terra brought food to the party. As people danced and ate, Lightning made his way around the square, shaking hands and thanking people for congratulating him. Finally, Rose grabbed his hands and pulled him into the crowd of dancers.

“I thought my hand was going to fall off from shaking it so many times,” Lightning joked. Rose laughed and spun in front of him.

“I hope you don’t lose it now, ‘cause I want to finish this dance with my Skyknight,” she said.

“ _Your_ Skyknight?”

“Well, you protect _my_ home, don’t you?” Rose asked. Lightning noticed her cheeks had turned a brilliant shade of strawberry red. He laughed nervously.

“Yeah, yeah I do.”

“And if we’re going to be honest, I didn’t see you kissing any other girls today.” Rose moved in closer, and Lightning could feel his cheeks warming. “In fact, I’ve never seen you kiss any other girls, but you seem to be pretty good at it.”

“Oh, wow, this is…uh, thank you… I guess?” His words came out in a jumbled mess. Rose glanced down at the ground. The couple stopped moving.

“I’m sorry. I…I really missed you,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her voice had lost its taunting undertone, now sounding more honest.

“I missed you, too,” Lightning said after a second of silence. He didn’t intend for his voice to be so soft. He grasped Rose’s hand and pulled her towards the fountain in the middle of the square, away from the crowd of dancers.

“Are you just saying that because I said it?” Rose asked. She sat on the side of the fountain, and Lightning joined her. He listened to the sound of rushing water, feeling the cool, light mist hit the back of his neck.

“I’m saying it because it’s true,” he replied. “I was at a party on Atmosia, a lot like this one, but there wasn’t anyone there I wanted to dance with.” Rose stared at him, and Lightning wondered what she was thinking.

“Can you tell me what happened during the trials?” Rose asked. Lightning glanced at the people swaying around him.

“I’ve got a better idea,” he said.

Minutes later, Rose was mounting Lightning’s skimmer behind him. Lightning revved up the engine, warned Rose to hold on, and took off into the sky. Rose followed Lightning’s orders and held him around the waist. Lightning grinned when she pressed herself against his back. He knew he missed her, but he had no idea that he missed her touch, too. He steered his skyride around the terra, giving Rose a good view of the village lights below and the stars above.

“This is amazing,” Rose said.

“Just imagine. This might be your view one day, for the rest of your life,” Lightning said. He glanced over his shoulder to see Rose staring at him.

“How did you do it?” she asked.

“Do what?”

“Leave. How did you decide to just get up and leave your home one day?”

“I had a duty. It was my destiny.” Rose hesitated to answer. She stared up at the stars.

“There’s no such thing as destiny,” she said, her voice quieter than before. “There’s always a choice.”


	14. An Army Awakens Pt 1

The skies around Terra Cyclonia were hardly clear. The clouds were dense in this part of the quadrant, and storms were frequent. Despite the strong winds and low visibility, the talons thrived in the skies. The dense clouds allowed perfect cover for any approaching Skyknights who were crazy enough to think they could take over the terra in the name of the Free Atmos. Enemies didn’t frequent the area often, especially since most Skyknights respected the boundary and trade agreements between the Skyknight Council and Cyclonia.

Master Cyclonis, however, had been on the throne for many decades, and learned a valuable lesson watching the Skyknights operate from a distance. If there is one piece of advice she had to choose the share with her son when he ascended to the throne, it would be just three words:

_Don’t trust anyone._

The Commander had heard his mother speak those three words before, and he kept them in mind as he walked towards a prison cell on his home terra. Cyclonia usually sent its prisoners to Zartacla after they received a trial on Cyclonia. The Commander had different plans for this prisoner. A guard stood on either side of the cell, each holding a crystal staff. The men saluted the Commander as he approached.

“The prisoner is inside?” the Commander asked the guards. One of them nodded. The other pressed a lever on the wall, unlocking the cell door with an echoing metal screech. The cell was lit well, but the Commander still had trouble making out his prisoner’s face until he entered the room. There he found himself in the presence of scaly creature. The stocky reptile had olive-colored scales and a sickening shade of yellow for eyes. He sneered as the Commander came closer, letting out a hiss, but the human did not flinch.

“We had an agreement,” the Commander said.

“I held up my end,” the reptile said. His voice was raspy and dry.

“Not everyone thinks so. Which is why you are here now.” The Commander folded his hands behind his back and paced the length of the cell, taking slow steps.

“The energy cannonsss…” the raptor began.

“This isn’t about the cannons, Repton,” the Commander said. The raptor watched him carefully, interested in whatever he would say next. “How much do you know about Atmos’ history?”

“Hissstory of… what, exactly?”

“Hundreds of years ago, Atmos didn’t exist, and everything was Cyclonia,” the Commander said. “Then, shortly after flight was invented, groups of rebels began to emerge, forcing the overthrow of Atmosia, and eventually other terras.”

“Is there a reassson you’re telling me what I already know?”

“Terra Bogaton was one of those terras.”

“Yesss, but we are your alliesss.”

“Indeed; the raptors were smart enough to know which side would benefit them most.” The Commander stopped pacing and stared at a spot on the wall. Then, he turned towards Repton. “Master Cyclonis is kind enough to give you one more chance, but consider it a probation, not a gift. This time, you will succeed, or you will spend the rest of your pathetic raptor years rotting in this room, and Terra Bogtaton will cease to be under Raptor control. Is that understood?” The Raptor watched the Commander as if he was a hunter stalking his prey.

“What is the target?”

“The question you should be asking is, _who_ is the target.”

***

After his meeting with the prisoner, the Commander made his way to the throne room. The queen sat on her throne, running her burgundy cape between two fingers. She was a patient woman, but still very fidgety.

“Did you deal with the prisoner?” she asked.

“I repeated exactly what you told me,” the Commander said, bowing to his master. “He is on his way to do your bidding.”

“Good. Any other news?”

“I heard from a patrol pilot that a new Skyknight was knighted.” The queen raised an eyebrow.

“Did he catch the name of the squadron?”

“The Storm Hawks, Master.”

“Of course.” The queen dropped her cape and rolled her eyes. “They cause way too much trouble for the both of us. We need to eliminate them.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” the Commander replied. “We can’t outright ambush them, because that would cause a war all across Atmos. You know how the Skyknights are with their treaties.”

“No, no ambush,” the Master said, waving her hand at her son as if he was still an ignorant teenager. “We must be cautious. Atmosia is pushing back against all of our latest expansions. We have to approach things in a quiet manner.”

“How do you suggest we do that?”

“Start by cutting off the supplies to their home terra. Inform your Eastern Quadrant patrol to target the supply ships in the area. Bring the Storm Hawk’s attention away from the larger picture. We need to distract them so their allies cannot rely on them for help anymore. Once they’ve been cut off from the rest of the council, they’ll be an easier target.”

“Then?”

“Then, we go in for our _actual_ target.”


	15. An Army Awakens Pt 2

“Wait, how do you do the flippy thing again?” Lightning’s friend, Clyde, asked. He was holding a spear he’d made at the Blacksmith’s forge, and used his free hand to brush his chocolate-brown hair out of his eyes. He stared at the Skyknight with impatient blue eyes.

Lightning was showing his friends some of his fighting techniques a few days after his Skyknight party. Each had created their own weapon with Flint’s assistance at the blacksmith’s forge, or found a weapon in the form of a household item. Mickey had her own sword, Flint was wielding a mace, and Kip used a garden rake.

“You just twist around like this,” Lightning said, demonstrating a challenging dueling maneuver with his sword. When he noticed the confused looks on his friends’ faces, he slung his sword over his shoulder and added, “It looks weird when I slow it down for you, but I promise it’s easier in real time.” Mick sheathed her sword and crossed her arms, popping her right hip out in the same fashion she always did when one of the boys annoyed her. Lightning hated when she did that, because he thought she was being too controlling.

“If we’re going to be part of your squadron one day, why aren’t you teaching us to fly?” she asked.

“Well, it complicated. I’d have to ask the rest of the team if they’re willing to lend their skimmers.”

“You have a skimmer; why can’t you just give us lessons on yours?” Flint asked.

“You’re the Skyknight; can’t you just make them teach us?” Mick asked.

“Yeah, you’ve got power over all of them,” Kip said.

“It’s not—“ Lightning stopped. He was about to tell his friends that it wasn’t his decision to make, that his team had to come to an agreement about new members first. He wanted to tell them that even if a spot opened up on his team, he’d still only be able to choose one replacement, and he already picked out that person. “I can’t let you guys join yet because… it’ll be too crowded,” he said after pausing. “I’ll keep training you, but you can’t register right now.” He watched a wave of defeat wash over Kip’s face.

“That still doesn’t answer my question,” Mick said, tilting her chin up. “Can you teach us how to fly?”

“I don’t know if now is the best time,” Lightning said. “Everyone’s busy repairing the ship. We don’t want to be in the way.”

“ _Now_ is the perfect time,” Mick argued. “If your squadron is grounded, you can focus on training us, and then you won’t have to leave on missions.” Lightning watched his friends’ faces, wondering how each of them would favor with a skimmer. He was confident in Mick, Flint, and Clyde’s abilities, but he wasn’t sure about Kip. Would his arms be long enough to reach the controls?

“Okay; we’ll go see who’s on board.”

Lightning and his friends set off for the _Condor_. He doubted he’d find his whole team there, but he figured at least one of them would be on board These days, there was always someone cleaning or welding.

Once they walked up the boarding ramp, Lightning heard his friends gasp in awe. They turned in circles with wide eyes and bright grins as they glanced around the hangar bay.

“Oh, that’s right. I’ve never given you guys the tour.”

As Lightning was showing his friends around the ship, he came across Simon and Conall in the engine room. The two were huddled around a table, studying a pile of mechanical parts together. They were mumbling to one another with their heads close, but Lightning couldn’t understand what they were saying.

“Hey, guys,” he said to grab their attention. Conall and Simon whipped their heads up, looking like they’d been caught plotting a secret mission. They stared at Lightning’s friends as if they were intruders on the ship.

“Hey, Lightning… hey,” Simon said. Both his and Conall’s cheeks flushed. Simon brushed his hands through his thick blue hair, knocking his goggles off his head, and struggled to catch them mid fall.

“These are my friends,” Lightning said. He introduced his friends to his squadron members, then added, “We wanted to know if you guys would mentor them in flying lessons.”

“Oh, uh, we’re—“

“We’re going to take over when you guys retire, so we want to be prepared,” Mick spat out.

“Which is going to be _awhile_ ,” Lightning quickly added with a nervous laugh.

“Oh, that’s…you’re parents are all okay with this?” Conall asked.

“Of course,” Kip said. “I mean, I didn’t ask them, but they’ll probably say yes.”

Suddenly, a pipe burst, spraying hot steam into the room. Conall quickly went to work patching it up.

“Look… Lightning… now really isn’t a good time,” Simon said. “We can give lessons another day.”

“What we _can_ do is use you and Rex’s help,” Conall called over his shoulder. “Maybe you guys could round him up? I’m sure his son’s getting confused having his father around so much.” Lightning knew Conall was only joking, but he hated the idea of tearing Rex away from his family.

“How about I go find Ulysses instead?” he suggested.

“Yuh; thure,” Conall called out. He held a wrench between his teeth, which muffled his words.

“Or… you could ask your friends to help,” Simon suggested. “If they’re going to be part of the squadron one day, they should know how to repair the ship.” Lightning watched his friends beam.

“Let’s get started, then.”

***

With the help of Lightning’s friends, the Storm Hawks finished repairing the _Condor_ within a week. Along the way, Flint and Mick learned mostly from Conall, who also gave them pointers on how to improve their weapons. Clyde was interested to learn the mechanics of the ship, so he ended up spending a lot of time with Ulysses and Simon in the engine room and at the helm. Kip was excited to do anything the Storm Hawks asked him to, even mop skimmer grease off the hangar bay floor.

Ulysses was excited to get it back into the air, so the team took the airship for a test drive around Sparrow. Mick, Flint, Clyde, and Kip came along for the ride to see their hard work in action. They all stood close to the windows, watching the cloud roll by outside.

“Lightning, someone sent a distress call earlier today,” Simon said in a low voice. “It’s not far from here. We need to drop your friends off and go.”

“Can I say goodbye to Rose, first?” Lightning asked.

“You won’t always get to say goodbye before leaving,” Rex explained. “Your friends and your family will forgive you eventually.” Lightning raised an eyebrow.

“Have you met my father?”

“It’s a small price to pay for saving the Atmos,” Simon added. Lightning stared out at the terra as they flew above. The buildings looked small enough to be bolts on his armor.

“Unfortunately, we’ve got to cut this test drive short,” he announced. Mick and Kip muttered a few frustrated words as Ulysses steered the ship back to their landing spot on the terra.

“Simon, plot a course,” Lightning continued. “Let’s go save the Atmos.”

***

The Storm Hawks flew towards the distress call. The location was near the Western Cyclonian border, which meant they had to travel many hours away from their home. Lightning wondered if this mission would be like the previous one, where something would prevent his squadron from returning home quickly. He hoped they could work this mission fast and be home within a day.

Ulysses brought the _Condor_ to a hovering speed in the middle of the sky. There were no terras in Lightning’s immediate sightline.

“What’s going on?” he asked the helmsman.

“These are the coordinates,” he said. Simon quickly compared the squadron’s location to his charts.

“Yup, this is definitely it,” he said. “There must have been some kind of miscommunication. I can try calling the signal back, but it might take me some time to trace it.”

Suddenly, the _Condor’s_ alarm pierced through the helm, setting the entire team on edge. Ulysses and Conall pulled the periscopes down and started scanning the sky around them.

“Uh oh. We’ve got trouble at three o’clock,” Conall said. Lightning followed Conall’s directions out the window. A group of about ten skimmers flew far off. Each one had curved tan wings. Lightning couldn’t tell which squadron was riding on them, but they looked strange from this far away.

“Which squadron is that?” Lightning asked.

“One of the worst,” Conall said. “Raptors.”

“Oh. Oh that’s great,” Simon said in a sarcastic tone. He lowered his goggles over his eyes as he did in most battles.

“I’ve heard about raptors,” Lightning said. “They’re giant lizards that eat people.”

“What’s our move, Skyknight?” Rex asked.

“Do we have to make a move?” Lightning asked, the words coming out too quickly to sound confident.

“Well, we should do something, unless we want to become brunch,” Simon said.

“Maybe they won’t attack us,” Lightning suggested.

“I’m pretty sure if they’re advancing on the _Condor_ like that, they’re not trying to invite us to a party,” Edison added.

“Okay, uh…ready the cannons,” Lightning said. His voice still came out uncertain.

“We should use our skimmers, too, so we have more firepower,” Rex said. Lightning stared at the advancing group of raptors. He could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest, fighting its way through his ribcage.

“Well, what’s the plan?” Simon asked.

“Uh, we can…skimmers, yeah.” Lightning made a beeline for the hangar bay. Rex and Simon shared a confused look.

“Is he…scared of raptors?” Simon whispered.

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Rex said.

The team prepared for battle. Lightning, Rex, Conall, and Simon readied their skyrides. Lightning tried to calm his nerves. He wasn’t excited to fight an enemy that could possibly eat him for dinner. It didn’t help that raptors were usually the villains in the horror stories he and his friends had told each other as children. They often became the villains in his nightmares, too.

As the hanger door opened, Lightning tightened and released his grip on his skimmer’s handles, trying to relax his muscles.

“You’re a Skyknight; you can do this,” he muttered to himself.

“Lightning, you okay?” Conall asked, noticing the young Skyknight’s jitters.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good,” he said. “Let’s do this.” He took off down the ramp and launched his skimmer into the sky. He kept an iron grip on his sword. The rest of his team formed up around him, ready for battle. The Raptors broke their formation and started swarming around the Storm Hawks, dive-bombing them like seabirds trying to grab fish. Lightning swerved away from his attackers, but not before he got a good look at them. When he found himself facing a raptor on his skimmer, he quickly realized he had a weapon in his hand. The raptor shot a whip at Lightning, but he swerved out of the way.

“Wow. You guys are even uglier in person,” he said. The raptor growled at Lightning, but he zoomed downwards and cut the raptor’s engine with a quick swipe of his sword.

“Don’t get eaten. Don’t get eaten. Don’t get eaten,” Lightning repeated to himself as he flew through the sky, avoiding more enemies. He kept his distance, shooting blasts at the raptors’ skimmers, trying to take them out. His sword was designed for close combat, so it wasn’t very accurate. Lightning ended up missing—a lot.

Then, he saw a familiar red skimmer fly past him. He focused on the battle around him, and saw more red skimmers.

“Why are there Talons, too?” Simon’s voice cut through the radio.

“Maybe they have a beef with the Raptors?” Edison said. One of the Talons started firing at Lightning.

“I think they both have a beef with us,” he said into his radio. He dodged the Talon’s blasts. Once he turned his skimmer around, he leaped from the front of his skimmer, clipped the Talon’s wings with his sword, and hopped back onto his skyride. He was much more at ease fighting Talons than giant lizards.

Suddenly, Lightning noticed a yellow glow coming towards him. He ducked, feeling the gush of air as something whooshed over him. He turned in the direction of the yellow glow to see a raptor holding a boomerang. He was staring at Lightning as if he was trying to decide how to season him.

“Skyknight!” the raptor called out. “You’re about to be the main course!” Lightning felt the fear shoot through his veins, but he tried to keep his composure on the outside.

“I hope you’re fine with Atmosian prison food, ‘cause that’s all you’ll be eating when I’m finished with you!” Lightning used his newfound courage to charge after the raptor. The two sparred against each other. Lightning was amazed at the raptor’s strength, but he swallowed his terror and continued to block the glowing yellow boomerang.

The raptor flew off and flung his boomerang at Lightning, but the Skyknight dodged the attack. He continued to throw his boomerang at Lightning, who kept veering out of the way. The two dodged each other, back and forth across the sky, without either able to gain anything against the other.

“Okay; this is ridiculous,” Lightning muttered. The raptor flung his boomerang at Lightning again. This time, he reached out with his sword and sliced the boomerang in two. Then, he flew closer to the raptor’s skimmer and hopped onto the wings. The raptor must have sensed his next move, because the next thing he knew, Lightning was pinned to the dashboard of the raptor’s skimmer. He could see the bones on the wings of the skimmer in the corner of his eye, and wondered if they were human bones. The thought terrified him. He looked up to see the raptor’s jagged teeth and yellow eyes and felt as if he was seven years old in the middle of a nightmare. The raptor’s hot breath rushed across his skin, making him feel like his face was rapidly getting sunburn.

“Time to finish you off for good,” the raptor said.

“Not yet,” Lightning said with a grimace. He reached out and pushed a button on the skimmer’s controls. Within seconds, the wings folded in and the skimmer began to fall out of the sky. The raptor reached for the controls, trying to release the wings. Lightning took advantage of the distraction and jumped from the skimmer. For the first time ever, he experienced what it felt like to free-fall through the sky. However, he knew it would only take minutes before he ended up flattened in the wastelands. He was just about to go for his parachute tab when a blue blur flew in front of him. He felt pressure around his wrist, then a sharp jerking motion upwards. He looked up to see Rex had him by the wrist.

“You’ve got a parachute for a reason,” Rex said. He slowed to a hovering speed so Lightning could climb on the back of the skimmer.

“Yeah, well, what’s the point of having a wingman if he doesn’t save my life every now and then?” Lightning said.


	16. An Army Awakens Pt 3

The Storm Hawks were able to drive the Talons and the raptors away. Back on the _Condor_ , the team theorized what the attack would mean.

“The raptors have been on Cyclonia’s side for awhile,” Rex said. “It’s not much of a surprise that they were working together.”

“It seems like it was an ambush,” Lightning said.

“Random coordinates to nowhere, conveniently located a few leagues off the border—yeah, I’d say that’s a recipe for an ambush waiting to happen,” Simon said.

“Why us?” Edison questioned.

“And how did they pick up on our radio signal?” Lightning asked.

“Everyone has access to the radio signals,” Ulysses said. “That’s why all the things we don’t want the Cyclonians to know about is said in person. They do the same so we can’t hear their plans.”

“I’m thinking we’re enemy number one after our little stunt with the Commander,” Conall suggested. He glanced at Lightning, who suddenly felt a pang of guilt in the pit of his stomach.

“But… that wouldn’t start a war, would it?” Lightning asked.

“Oh, no. Arresting him for trying to take over our land wouldn’t prompt them to war,” Rex said. Lightning considered his squadron’s theories.

“We’ll have to be more careful,” he said. “In the mean time, why don’t we see just how fast these modifications made our ship?”

***

Hundreds of leagues away, a small group of talons and four raptors stood in front of Master Cyclonis on her throne. To her right, the Commander stood with his hands behind his back, scowling at the raptors like a father scolding naughty children.

“I don’t understand how you could have possibly failed. It was just one squadron. You easily outnumbered them without my talons helping,” Master Cyclonis said. Repton took a step forward.

“The Ssskyknight, Massster,” he said. “He’sss ssstronger than we thought.”

“You mean to tell me that your army of raptors is weaker than one human?”

“No, that’sss not—“

“Why should we even keep you as an ally?”

“Becaussse—“

“That is all. You are dismissed,” Master Cyclonis said. “As of tomorrow, the Talons will be arriving on Bogaton to seize the terra.”

“But Massster, we can help,” Repton said.

“How?” The queen’s tone had turned hostile.

“We can eliminate _their_ alliesss.”

“You can’t even take out a single squadron,” the Commander said. “How can we expect you to follow through with taking out the rest of the Skyknights?”

“Jussst give usss one more chanccce,” Repton said. “We can get the Ssskyknights out of your way, ssso you can continue with your plan.” The queen was silent. She glanced at her son, who nodded once.

“My son seems to place a lot of faith in your species,” she said. “Bogaton will remain under Cyclonian control until you succeed.”

“How many sssquadrons are required?”

“All of them,” the queen said. “We’re going to wipe out the entire Skyknight population. The Free Atmos can say goodbye to their freedom. Cyclonia is taking back what is rightfully hers.”

***

A few months later, the Storm Hawks traveled through the southern skies. They’d just left Terra Saharr, and they brought souvenirs with them. Everyone gathered around the round table, admiring the bright, blue crystal on the end of a thick golden chain.

“And to think, we didn’t even have to cheat for it!” Simon said. Lightning glanced over at his navigator, wearing a disapproving scowl.

“Yeah, good thing all our bets came out in our favor, huh?” Edison said, eyeballing a small brown pouch on the table, which was filled with their gambling winnings.

“There should have been a prize for winning the race as a first-year Skyknight,” Lightning said, leaning back against the sofa and crossing his arms.

“There should be a prize for the best pit crew,” Conall added. As the crew laughed, the ship’s alarm went off, signaling an incoming distress call.

“It’s an Atmosian freighter ship,” Ulysses explained. “They’ve been attacked by Cyclonians.”

“Let’s go show Cyclonians what happens when they try to mess with our resources,” Lightning said.

In seconds, the entire team was off the couch and preparing for battle. The ship was only a few miles away, and Ulysses got the _Condor_ there in record time. Lightning, Rex, Conall, and Simon launched their skyrides off the runway. A silver ship shaped like a barge hovered in the air, surrounded by talons and two Cyclonian cruisers. The engines on the Atmosian freighter were blowing black smoke.

“Do we have an actual plan?” Rex said into the radio.

“Destroy the cruisers,” Lightning said. “Do whatever you can to draw them away from the freighter.” He had no way of knowing if his plan would actually work, but it was all he could come up with in such little time.

The team set to work targeting the Cyclonian cruisers. Lightning and Conall aimed for one together. Ulysses steered the _Condor_ towards another cruiser. Rex and Simon worked as the distractions for the talons. They were severely outnumbered, but Lightning wasn’t worried. After months of practice, his skills were on par with Rex’s and Conall’s. He’d become much better at wielding his sword in the past few months, and he’d been training on his accuracy with his new Skyknight move. Any enemy he came across didn’t stand a chance against him now.

The Storm Hawks continued to fend off against the talons. Ulysses managed to take down one of the ships, but the Cyclonians must have figured out their plan, because the other cruiser started firing at the _Condor_ before Lightning and Conall could get to it. Dozens of talons surrounded them. Lightning reminded himself to be more secretive when discussing battle plans over the radio.

Conall flew up next to Lightning. He shot his crossbow in the direction of an oncoming talon. Lightning had to steer his skimmer up quickly to avoid getting hit by the falling skimmer.

“Lightning, there are too many,” Conall said when Lightning flew back down next to him. “This is a suicide mission. We need backup—now.” Lightning was about to call for help on his radio, but then his eye caught someone falling. He recognized a blue uniform and blue hair.

“Simon!” He shouted his navigator’s name and took off, chasing after him. Simon pulled his parachute, slowing his descent. Lightning positioned his skimmer under Simon and he landed behind him on the seat.

“Thanks, Skyknight,” Simon said.

“I have an idea, but I need you,” Lightning said. He switched his skimmer to autopilot and climbed onto the wings. “You steer; I’ll destroy. Deal?” Simon looked confused at first, but when he understood what Lightning was suggesting, he smirked.

“Let’s do this,” he said, taking over the controls. Simon flew the skimmer towards some nearby talons. With two free hands and more maneuverability, Lightning easily took them down. As Simon drove the skimmer through the sea of talons, Lightning slashed at the skimmers, leaving nothing but smoke and parachutes in his wake.

“Get us closer to the cruiser,” Lightning instructed. Simon followed his orders. When the skimmer was closer to the Cyclonian cruiser, Lightning used his Skyknight move to take out an engine.

“Are you sure you need me?” Simon asked. “You seem to be doing pretty well on your own.”

“Says the one doing all the flying.”

The remaining talons noticed their second cruiser losing altitude, and took it as their signal to retreat. The Storm Hawks helped the crew on the Atmosian freighter patch the engines and accompanied them to their desitnation before continuing on for home.

“Well, today was productive,” Simon said. “We won a race, took down some Cyclonians, and saved a freighter, all before dinner. Speaking of which, is your mom cooking tonight, Lightning? I’m starving.”

***

Claudius was slowly coming around to the idea of Lightning being a Skyknight. He heard stories of how the squadron saved many freighters over the past few months, and took it as a sign that Lightning was looking out for his people. When it came to the visitors his son brought home these days, Claudius was much more standoffish.

Simon was an orphan from Atmosia, who joined the Storm Hawks at fourteen four years ago. He didn’t have any family on Sparrow, so he spent most of his time with other squadron member’s family. Claudius was still unsure of Simon, offended by his loud voice and lack of manners, but Lissie treated him like a second son.

That night after dinner, Lightning took Rose out on his skimmer. He let her fly this time, only correcting her a few times. They flew through the inky sky with only the moonlight and distant lights from the terra to guide them. After awhile, Lightning instructed Rose to land near the edge of the strawberry field. They spread out on a patch of grass and watched the stars. Lightning retold Rose stories of the Great Race and rescuing the Atmosian airship.

“It sounds like you’re adapting to being away from home just fine,” Rose commented.

“It doesn’t really feel like home anymore,” Lightning said. “The _Condor’s_ become my new home. I still miss the people, though.”

“We get by.”

“Yeah?” The Skyknight leaned on one elbow and rested his cheek in his hand so he could see Rose’s face. “Tell me something, Rose. Could you leave it all behind? Could you just run off and leave your family, your friends, your whole life?” Rose stared at the sky for a few seconds before meeting his eyes.

“Yes. All I’ve ever known is our tiny terra. I want to see all of Atmos. I want to go to those exotic places I’ve read about, to see Tropica’s waters with my own eyes, or a Saharrian sunset. I want to experience things that most people would never even think about in their lifetimes. Selling strawberries—it’s a job, not a life.” She looked back up at the sky. “I want to live.” Lightning grinned.

“I promise I’ll take you to see all those amazing places,” he said with a wink.


	17. Gale Pt 1

The clouds were thick and opaque as the _Condor_ sailed through them. Raindrops pelted the windows of the main deck, making a rhythmic pattering noise that echoed into the halls. In the distance, thunder rumbled, sending a vibration through the old ship’s pipes.

“How long is this storm going to last? I don’t think I’ve seen the sun in three days,” Edison said, squinting out the windows.

“It’s been eight hours,” Conall said.

"Feels like three days.”

“Look, I’m trying my best here,” Simon said. “No matter what direction we go, it keeps coming back. It’s like it’s never ending.”

“There has to be an edge of the storm,” Ulysses said. “It can’t be raining all over Atmos.”

“Just go towards Saharr; it only rains there once a year,” Edison suggested.

“If my trajectory pattern is correct, we’re about seventeen hundred leagues from any of the dry, southern terras,” Simon said.

“All this fog reminds me of that time we were near Terra Deep,” Ulysses said with the smallest smile peeking out under his moustache.

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Edison said with a shiver. He readjusted his thick glasses on his nose. “I still get the creeps when I think about Murk Raiders.”

“They definitely don’t have the best hygiene, do they?” Simon joked.

***

While most of the squadron tried to see through the dark clouds, Lightning stayed in the hanger bay, making repairs to his skimmer. Rex came in and leaned against his own skimmer while Lightning worked.

“Need a hand?” he asked.

“I’ve got it,” Lightning said from behind the folded wing of his skimmer. He unscrewed a panel on the engine and it fell to the floor with a loud clatter.

“I was thinking—“

“You want to go back home,” Lightning guessed.

“Well, we’ve been gone for almost two months straight, and I know we’ve had a lot on our plate lately with all the ambushes.”

“They were _murders_ , Rex,” Lightning said, popping his head above the wing. “Three whole squadrons wiped out in two months. No witnesses, no proof it was the Cyclonians. They won’t fess up. No one is safe out here.”

“All the more reason we should ground ourselves,” Rex said. Lightning continued his work.

“Look, I know your family is important to you—“

“Ace is almost six.”

“But protecting the skies, keeping close tabs on the other squadrons, _that’s_ what’s important right now. We can protect your family from out here. We have to find the people who are doing this; then, we can go home.”

“It’s not Cyclonia.”

“How can you be so sure?” Lightning asked, looking out over the wing again. A small smudge of grease smeared across his forehead. These days, the red hair that used to fall in his face was often sporting more volume and sometimes even pushed up from so much wind. Lightning’s hair often looked as if he’d rolled out of bed without looking in a mirror, even though his uniform was pristine. “If we can prove it’s them, we can arrest the old hag, her no-good son, too—the entire fleet. We could put an end to these attacks once and for all.” Rex studied Lightning with a pained look on his face, like a father trying to scold another child for bullying his son on the playground. He only had about eighteen years on Lightning, but still treated him like a child.

“I’ve been out here longer than you,” he said. “I know how the Cyclonians operate. Arlo and I did recon on them for years. Killing squadrons is not their style. They break our rules, but they have their own, too. They take prisoners, they demand ransoms, they hold terras hostage, but they never kill without reason.”

“Maybe the Commander is changing things.”

“Maybe you’re just a little obsessed with putting him away for good.” Lightning didn’t look up to protest; he kept his eyes turned to the floor, hidden by the wing.

“If it keeps us from going to war, maybe it’s the right thing to focus on,” he said finally.

“Now, you’re starting to sound like Arlo,” Rex said. Lightning could tell he didn’t mean it as a compliment.

“I’m not forcing you to be away from your family, Rex, I’m asking you to help me put a stop to all of this.”

“Just one night, Lightning. That’s all I’m asking.” Don’t you want to see your mother again? Your girl?” Rex’s tone had softened. Lightning kept his face hidden; he could feel his cheeks warming.

“Tell Ulysses to set course for Sparrow,” he said finally, poking his head up above the wing. “We get two nights, then it’s back to the sky.”

***

“Lightning, I need a word with you,” Ulysses said a little while later. The _Condor_ was en route to Sparrow. The weather had calmed, but it was still cloudy and dark outside.

“I get it; we need a break,” Lightning said, wiping the grease off of his face with a towel. “That’s why we’re going home.”

“To your home,” Ulysses pointed out. “You, Ed, and Rex are the only ones with family there.” Lightning couldn’t think of a polite way of brining up Ulysses’ destroyed home terra, so he hesitated to speak.

“We’re only going for Rex,” Lightning said. “He wanted to see Ace again.” Ulysses glanced over with a knowing smile.

“And you didn’t want to see your girlfriend?” Lightning rubbed his face with the towel again so Ulysses couldn’t see his cheeks turn red.

“She’s not…” Lightning trailed off, realizing he couldn’t defend himself. “I have to get used to not seeing her. That’s the point of being a Skyknight. You don’t protect your family, you protect the whole Atmos.”

“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Atmos?”

“No, family.”

“Did my father send a rude message over the radio?” Lightning guessed. “I thought he was over this.”

“Not your family—mine.” Lightning resisted the urge to point out that Ulysses’ family was gone, and the helmsman continued. “Her name is Naima. She’s from Saharr. We met during the Great Race two years ago. We’ve kept in touch with letters. She has two daughters, but her husband died when they were infants, so she’s been raising them on her own.”

“Oh,” Lightning said the word quickly, unsure how to react to Ulysses’ confession. “Do you want to go to Saharr and visit her?”

“No, we can take Rex to see Ace first. Anyways, she wrote to me a few days ago, asking if I wanted to come live with her. She owns a shop selling healing crystals at the bazaar,” Ulysses explained.

“Doesn’t she know you’re part of a Skyknight squadron?”

“Yes, but…that’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about,” Ulysses said. His voice had grown softer. “I’m not the type of person who should be a part of a Skyknight squadron. I tell everyone I do it because I don’t want anyone to suffer like I did, and I truly don’t, but this isn’t what I’m meant to do.”

“You want to leave?” Lightning asked, shocked at what he was hearing. It’s true that Ulysses didn’t seem to get as aggressive in battle as the other squadron members. He wasn’t sure what he would do without Ulysses’ calm demeanor always bringing the squadron back to reality.

“I’m past Skyknight retirement age. My joints are going to start aching soon. I’ve got grey hairs in my beard. There’s a younger generation of people who can do this job better than me. I’ve seen how well trained your friends are back on Sparrow.” Lightning stared out at the clouds, trying to comprehend everything Ulysses was saying. He tried to see his carrier pilot as the age he was describing. Ulysses did have grey hairs in his beard. The skin around his eyes crinkled like a sheet on a bed, symbolizing many years of squinting, smiling, and laughing. But how could he give all of this away to live a boring life on a desert terra? More importantly, where would the Storm Hawks find a replacement pilot?

“If that’s what you think is best,” he said finally. Ulysses smiled.

“Naima and her daughters will never replace Greta and my own children, but they are my chance at a new life,” Ulysses said. “I want a chance to live my life how I planned it.” Ulysses glanced at Lightning, who looked lost in thought, like something was bothering him. “You won’t have to go looking for a new pilot. Simon’s been learning how to fly the _Condor_ for years. He does a god job.”

Lightning glanced over his shoulder at his future helmsman. Simon sat upside-down on the couch, with his legs dangling over the back, reading a map. Lightning had not seen Simon fly the ship since he’d become Skyknight, and the thought of helmsman becoming his permanent position made him uneasy.

“You’ve served us well,” he said, putting a hand on Ulysses’ shoulder. “You deserve a permanent vacation.”


	18. Gale Pt 2

Lightning knew he'd need as much help as he could get if he was going to capture the Commander. With Simon at the helm, someone would need to be his navigator. He wasn't sure who he'd choose as his navigator, but he knew what he was looking for. He needed a person who could fight. He needed a person who was calm in the hype of a battle. He had a pretty good idea who he wanted to join his team.

***

“Just do what I taught you, and you’ll be fine,” Lightning said. He spoke in a lighthearted voice, unlike what a flight instructor’s voice should sound like. Rose followed Lighting’s instructions from earlier, steering the skimmer towards the runway of the moving _Condor_. Lightning suggested they practice landing while the airship was flying. He wanted her to be an exceptional pilot so that the rest of the squadron couldn’t hold her skills against her. It took some convincing for his squadron to let Rose tag along on the Storm Hawk’s next mission—taking Ulysses to Saharr for retirement. Lightning promised them she would not interfere if they were attacked, since she wasn't a part of the squadron...yet.

Rose held the skimmer steady, her face pained with concentration. As the ship’s runway grew closer, she pulled on the triggers, ready to fold the wings in on impact.

“Get us lower...steady,” Lightning instructed. He held her around the waist, watching the runway over her shoulder.

“Now?”

“Not yet.”

“The runway’s not that long.”

“Okay, now—wings!” Rose pushed the button on the controls, folding the skimmer’s wings in and bringing the skimmer down onto the runway. The front tire bounced twice, and the skimmer zoomed towards the hangar bay.

“Brake!” Lightning cried out.

The skimmer came to a screeching halt, just inside the hangar bay door. Rose was thrown forward onto the console, and Lightning tumbled off the side.

“Not bad,” Lighting said with a laugh as he sat up.

“Your brakes are touchy,” Rose commented as she slid off the seat.

“I think you’re getting the hang of this,” Lightning said just as Rex and Simon appeared in the doorway, probably curious to find out where the screeching tire noises were coming from.

“Everything all right?” Rex asked, nodding to Lightning on the floor.

“Of course,” Lightning said. “Just giving our newest candidate some lessons.” Rose grinned and shrugged her shoulders. Simon looked as if he was trying to study a map without a starting point or coordinates for a destination.

“Candidate for what?” he asked. Lightning threw his arm around Rose’s shoulders.

“Rose is going to take over as navigator. That’s why I invited her along—so she could get used to air travel and learn a few things from you.”

“The airsickness is gone, by the way,” she added, then giggled. Both Simon and Rex seemed confused.

“I think we should discuss this,” Rex said, crossing his arms across his chest. “Without Rose.” Lightning stole a glance at his friend, who was staring at the metal floor with flushed cheeks.

"I thought you told them," she mumbled.

“Just hang out here for a bit while we talk, okay?” he said. "I'll sort this out."

***

A few minutes later, the group met up on the helm. Simon seemed bothered the most by the idea of Rose joining. He paced back and forth in front of the circular couch, his boots making soft tapping noises across the metal floor.

“Why her? She has no experience fighting or flying. Why not one of your friends, like that burly fellow—what’s his name?” he asked.

“Flint,” Conall said.

“Right, Flint. We could train him.”

“Rose can fight,” Lightning said. “I taught her some of my moves. I’ve been training her a little each time we come home--in fact, she's better with a skimmer than any of my other friends. She’s fast. She’s smart, too. She already knows how to read maps and track the stars.” Simon glanced at Conall, curious to see his expression. Rex was studying Lightning with a disapproving look.

“Are you sure?” Edison asked. “I mean, she’s just a farm girl.”

“And I was just a farm boy,” Lighting pointed out. “We all started somewhere.” He made eye contact with each of his team members. “Look, we all agree we need another member to take over navigation. It’s too much for one of us to do with all of our other duties. We already saw where that got us.” All eyes shifted to Edison, who put his hands up in surrender.

“Okay, look, it’s not my fault we got lost,” he said.

“In Cyclonian territory,” Conall muttered. Simon rolled his eyes.

“Hey, you didn’t do much better, Mister Sky-Shark-invasion,” Edison said. Conall shrugged.

“Amateurs,” Simon mumbled, rolling his eyes.

“Are you sure you aren’t being biased?” Rex asked.

“What do you mean?” Lightning asked.

“Well, like Simon said, don’t you think one of your other friends would be more… qualified?”

“Rose is much more qualified than the others,” Lightning argued.

“Yes, but, she’s…”

“What? A girl?”

“A girl that you’re pretty attached to,” Rex pointed out. Lightning rolled his eyes.

“I’m not making Rose part of the squadron just so I can spend more time with her,” he said. “She can do this.”

“If that’s what you think is best,” Edison said apathetically.

“Just give her two weeks with us,” Lightning said. “I promise she’ll make you proud.”

***

The _Condor_ touched down the desert on the outskirts of a small town. The buildings in the town were small and square, each with a flat roof. Some were two or three stories tall; others had decorated porches on the roof. Three people stood by a pathway into town. The tallest was a woman in her early forties, dressed in sand-colored clothes. Her short hair was dark pink, almost red. Her skin was the color of cocoa, and her eyes blazed bright orange, like a sunset. Lightning could see why Ulysses had taken interest in her—she was beautiful. Her daughters shared their mother’s skin tone. One who looked about ten or twelve had light pink hair pulled into a low ponytail. The other, who Lightning guessed was probably younger, judging by her height, wore her hair short like her mother’s, but it was dark teal.

Lightning descended the ramp first, but he stopped once his feet touched the ground. He placed a hand on Ulysses shoulder and said, “Well, are you gonna say ‘hi’ to your family?” Lighting watched his helmsman’s lips turn upwards in a grateful smile before he stared towards the three girls. Naima ran towards him and threw her arms around his neck. Lightning watched the couple embrace from the shadow of the airship. The rest of his squadron crowded around him. After Ulysses hugged the girls, Lightning led his squadron over to introduce them.

Naima invited the whole squadron back to her house for dinner. When they first walked up to the small one-story house and entered the kitchen, Lightning wondered how all ten of them would fit around the small table. It wasn’t much larger than his bunk on the _Condor_. Naima’s daughters, Delphi and Sadie, led the group out the back door. Outside, there were flat slate stones inlaid in the sand, creating a large patio space. Strings of tiny, golden sol crystals hung between wooden poles, basking the space in a soft, yellow glow. A low table, long enough for the whole squadron, sat centered on the patio, with multicolored cushions scattered around it. On top of the table, a feast of all kinds of vegetables and starches cover the space. Lightning was surprised that Ulysses wanted to live with vegetarians. He’d seen the man destroy a rack of ribs at an Atmosian party before.

“Man, Naima, when Ulysses said you could cook, he didn’t do your food justice,” Conall said a few minutes later. Multiple conversations were going on at the table. Rex was telling Sadie, the daughter with teal hair, about an adventure involving angry flying chickens, chewing gum, and a squadron of talons. Edison was explaining the properties of a floater crystal to a very interested Delphi. Lightning was trying to tell Rose how to form up for an aerial attack, using his utensils and some vegetables for models. Simon wasn’t speaking to anyone; he was too busy shoving food in his mouth. Ulysses was too happy to see everyone together to notice his friend’s manners.

***

Later, after everyone thanked Naima for dinner and said goodbye to Ulysses, the team set off into the dark sky. Lightning found Rose on the bridge. She stood with her arms wrapped around her, shivering as the wind whipped her hair away from her face.

“It’s even colder out here than it is on the terra at night,” she said.

“Yeah, you just have to get used to it,” Lightning replied with a shrug.

“That was your cue.”

“What? Oh, sorry.” Lightning pulled Rose in for a bear hug.

“I just need to be warm—not flattened,” she gasped. Lightning laughed and released his hold on her. He draped his arms across the railing, focusing on patterns in the stars.

“I don’t think everyone is happy to have me here,” Rose said, breaking the silence.

“What are you talking about?”

“Well… Simon didn’t even let me help him plot the course to Atmosia,” she explained. “He just did it all himself.”

“Is that why it took so long for us to take off? I thought we were having issues with the engines.” Rose stared out at the sky with a discouraged expression. Lighting nudged her with his elbow. “Just give them time; they’ll come around.”

“We don’t have time. I should already be navigating,” Rose said. "You said it yourself; the Cyclonians are planning something."

“You’ll get your chance,” Lightning said. “I’ll talk to them about it tomorrow. They can’t say no to their Skyknight.” He flashed her a smile, hoping she’d smile back. It didn’t work. “In the meantime, since we’re out here and the sky is clear, I can teach you some of the names for the stars.” Rose turned her head to the sky, squinted, and then pointed.

“The group of stars that looks like a square is called Iso. It’s the head of Durin’s Hammer. His foot is over there in the west.” She glanced back at Lightning and smirked. “Tell me something I don’t know, Skyknight.”


	19. Gale Pt 3

“And, for the third year in a row, the Storm Hawks are the champions!” Edison cheered, thrusting the crystal amulet into the air. Lightning swiftly snatched the amulet out of the sky before it fell back into the crystal mage’s hand. His adrenaline was still running high after the race, and his reflexes responded. From Lightning’s perspective, it hadn’t been much of a competition; he’d gained an early lead and kept it for the rest of the laps. In the words of Simon, they’d gotten very lucky.

“Hey, Rose, you should wear that as a new piece of armor,” Simon joked. Rose rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the ribs. He fell backwards into the sand, sending up a puff of orange dust. Conall laughed before helping him up.

“Just remember the reason we won,” Rose said, crossing her arms across her chest.

“This guy,” Lightning said, leaning in close to her face. Rose pushed his head away.

“This _girl_ , actually, who made you go out and do practice runs.”

“I didn’t need to do them; I was fine.”

“Says the Skyknight who wiped out on the same turn the first three runs,” Rose said. Lightning opened his mouth to respond, but closed it, quickly realizing he didn’t have a response. Rose smirked and tilted her chin up. She’d perfected that move in the past two years, saving it for whenever one of the guys tried to say something smart.

“I’ll be honest; I was pretty confused when you first brought her on the team,” Rex said. “But now, I get it. She keeps you in line.”

“She keeps _all_ of us in line,” Edison added.

“I say we take our prize back to Sparrow and celebrate,” Lightning announced.

“I second that,” Rex said. “Ace’s birthday is in three days. There’s no way I’m missing it again.”

“The kid’s almost seven years old. I’m sure he understands why his dad isn’t around all the time,” Simon said.

“I think he’s grateful that crazy Uncle Simon isn’t always around,” Edison mumbled under his breath.

***

The team was only about a thousand leagues from Saharr when Xander’s voice came through the radio.

“Storm Hawks, how close are you to the Northwestern border?” he said.

“About three thousand leagues,” Simon replied with a shrug. Rose unrolled a map on the table.

“Gale just sent me a distress call. The Cyclonians are closing in on their terras, and fast. I know you’re far away, but most squadrons haven’t even left Saharr yet. There’s no way any of us could get there in time.”

“We’re on our way,” Lightning said. He turned to his helmsman and said, “Get us to Gale as fast as this ship will fly. Rose, find us the quickest route there. Edison, I’ll need an inventory of our weapons-grade crystals. Rex, Conall, you’re with me in the hangar bay. We’ll get the sand out of our skyrides on the way there.”

***

When the Storm Hawks arrived at Terra Gale, Cyclonia was already advancing. Six cruisers hovered around the terra, while swarms of talons flew on their skimmers, blasting the people on the terras below. Lightning didn’t hesitate to mount his skyride and launch into the air.

“Radio Xander and see if there’s any backup coming,” Lightning said. He scanned the sky, trying to find his next target.

“We’re trying, but the closest ship is hours away,” Xander’s voice cut through the static.

“There’s no way we’ll be able to hold them off that long,” Lightning said.

“You’re right about that,” a voice said. Lightning turned to see the Commander flying nearby. Following his instincts, he leapt off the wings, ready to land on the Commander’s skimmer and cut him down. The Commander, however, anticipated his move and darted out of the way. Rose flew her skimmer over to catch Lightning. He landed feet-first on the wings.

“Rose, I’ve only got one job for you to do,” he said. “Catch me.” Rose saluted her Skyknight, then steered the skimmer after the Commander. Over the past two years, Rose’s flying skills had improved immensely. Her flying style was similar to a small bird that swooped and darted out of the way, making her almost impossible to catch.

Once Lightning was close enough, he hurdled off the wings onto the Commander’s skimmer. The Commander hadn’t been expecting Lightning to jump on. He reached for his crystal staff on his back, but Lighting already had him pinned to the back of the seat. The two fought each other without their weapons, using only their fists.

“Isn’t this cheating, even for you so-called ‘honorable’ Skyknights?” the Commander spat. Lightning landed a punch right across his jaw. The Commander came back up with bloody teeth.

“No need to cheat if I’ve already won” Lightning teased. The Commander threw a punch, hitting Lightning right across his face. He felt the instant rush of pain to his nose.

“My army is bigger and more skilled than any of your Skyknights. Don’t get ahead of yourself.” Lightning felt the warm blood trickling from his nose down to his upper lip. He grabbed the Commander by the collar.

“Quality over quantity,” he said. With his free hand, he pulled his sword off of his back and split the skimmer’s crystal converter. The blow sent a puff of white smoke into the air, and the skimmer quickly began losing altitude. Lightning leapt from the falling skyride. Rose swung by with her skimmer, catching Lightning on the wings again.

“He’s starting to get on my nerves,” Lightning said, wiping his bloody nose on his sleeve. Then, Simon’s voice cut through the speaker.

“Lightning, we have to call a retreat,” he said. “The _Condor_ can’t hold up to much more of this.”

“We can’t abandon these people; they need our help,” Rose said. Rex and Conall flew up on either side of Lightning and Rose.

“Whoa, what dogfight were you in?” Conall asked, noticing Lightning’s bloody nose.

“There’s no point in helping them if we’re risking our own lives,” Rex explained. “We have to go.” His tone reminded Lightning of his father giving him orders back on the farm, and his immediate instinct was to obey. Lightning glanced around him. His team was outnumbered, ten-to-one. Victory was impossible at this point.

The Storm Hawks followed their retreating airship as far from the battle as possible. When Rose landed her skimmer, Lightning walked over to the open hangar bay and stared out. Gale was almost out of his sightline.

“We look like cowards,” he said. “All those people are going to die because of us.”

“They won’t die. There are other squadrons on the way,” Conall said.

“They’ll be too late.” Lighting’s tone turned sharp.

“We can’t win every battle—“

“Not now, Rex. I don’t need one of your fatherly pep talks.” He walked through the door to the rest of the ship, leaving his squadron members alone in the hangar.

***

Edison used crystals to help Lightning fix his broken nose. After he cleaned the blood up, he rejoined the rest of his team on the bridge.

“The Red Eagles, Screaming Queens, and Absolute Zeros are on their way,” Simon told him.

“We should be on our way,” Lightning snapped.

“It wouldn’t do any good going back now,” Rose started.

“Yes, it would; we could keep them from killing all those innocent people.”

“We should wait for the other squadrons,” Rose said.

“We should go back.”

“The ship is damaged," Simon said. "We need to fix the—“

“Turn around—that’s an order.” Everyone stared at Lightning with confused expressions, as if he’d just spoken a foreign language.

“I’ll… get to work on those repairs,” Conall said. He disappeared down the hallway.

“Xander calling the Storm Hawks,” Xander’s voice said through the radio.

“We had some airship trouble, but we’re on our way,” Lightning answered.

“It’s too late,” Xander said. “Cyclonia took Gale.”


	20. Gale Pt 4

The Storm Hawks were called back to Atmosia for an emergency Skyknight Council meeting. This time, all the Skyknights in Atmos attended. The council room was so crowded that Lightning was knocking shoulders with everyone around him. He’d learned the names of all the squadrons around him, but he only knew the Skyknights by name.

“Order, order,” the head councilman said. He waited for the chatter to die down before starting. “I call this meeting of the Free Atmos to order. As most of you already know, the Kingdom of Gale has been overthrown by Cyclonia. There were no Skyknights in the area when the incident occurred.”

“The Storm Hawks were there. Why didn’t they do anything about it?” the Skyknight of the Rex Guardians, Headley, called out. All the faces in the room turned towards Lightning and his squadron. Edison coughed nervously in the silence, the noise echoing off the tall walls.

“We tried, but that army was huge. There was no way we could have taken them on our own,” Lightning said, trying to defend his squadron from ridicule.

“Why didn’t you call for help?” asked a Skyknight named Weston.

“They did; everyone was too far away, including the Red Eagles,” Xander interjected. “We got there too late.” More squadron members started side conversations.

“This couldn’t have been prevented,” Rose piped up. Most of the conversations died down. “If we stayed, we would have been destroyed. It wouldn’t matter if other squadrons showed up; by the time we got there, it was already too late, too. The Cyclonians knew all the squadrons would be in the south for the race on Saharr. It was the perfect opportunity for them to take over a terra.” Lighting watched Rose with a curious expression. She was used to being the center of attention on the _Condor_ , since she was the only girl. She was right at home talking to a huge group of Skyknights.

“At least we had the decency to answer the call,” Conall added. “I didn’t hear anything about the Rex Guardians volunteering to help.” A soft murmur fell over the crowd. The councilman called for order again.

“Fortunately, Gale reported a very low number of fatalities,” the councilman said. “Unfortunately, we have lost contact with them under Cyclonian control. This, of course, could encourage Cyclonia to attempt to conquer other terras. Gale is just the first.” There was chatter among the crowd again.

“We could take it back,” Lightning spoke up. The hall went silent. No one seemed to know how to answer. When Lightning realized no one was disagreeing with him, he continued, “I volunteer my squadron to lead the charge.”

“I hardly think a child who hasn’t even had _half_ the experience as a Skyknight as we have, has the authority to lead ally missions,” Headley said.

“A _child_? I’m eighteen!“

“He has just as much authority as you do, Headley,” Rex said. Headley shot Rex a glaring look, as if he was deeply offended.

“We should take it back,” a woman in purple and gold Skyknight armor spoke up. Lightning knew her as Clove, Skyknight of the Interceptors. “Gale is a part of the Free Atmos; it’s our duty to protect them.” Muttering of agreement spread through the crowd.

“Does anyone have any objections?” one of the councilmen asked.

“This wouldn’t start a war, eh, would it?” an Absolute Zero piped up.

“The war already started,” Lightning said. “This is the last battle.”

***

Master Cyclonis heard the footsteps. She turned and surveyed her son as he appeared in the doorway. The left side of the Commander’s face was bruised badly. Blood stained his chin. He seemed to stand taller and impatiently, like an excited child about to reveal a surprise gift to his mother.

“You’ve looked better,” Master Cyclonis said. The Commander was too proud to scowl. He ginned and said, “It was worth it.”

“So I’ve heard,” the queen said. She stood next to her throne, drumming her fingers on the side of the backrest. “Congratulations.” The Commander thanked the queen and bowed.

“What’s our next move?” he asked. The queen stopped tapping her fingers and fixated her eyes on the narrow floor-to-ceiling window.

“The Raptors have proven useful in their attacks,” she started. “Inform Repton that I will be pulling the Cyclonian troops out of Bogaton tomorrow.”

“But, Master, they haven’t finished their job.”

“They made a large enough dent in the Skyknight population that we were successful today.”

“Shouldn’t they be rewarded _after_ they finish their job?” The Commander watched his mother stare at him for a few seconds. Her gaze was cold, demanding his attention.

“There is an important concept you must understand before you take over after me,” she said. “Patience with diligence. You cannot make allies if you have nothing to offer them. If all you do is take, you will become their enemy. You have to be the judge. If your ally proves himself worthy, give them what they want. They’re more likely to continue their work if they received their motivation. It instills positivity. They not only see you as someone to be feared, they also see you as someone who can give them something.”

The Commander savored his mother’s words. They seemed to contradict her advice not to trust anyone. He wondered if she knew that she was giving him contradictory advice.

“What’s _our_ next move?” he asked again.

“I should be asking _you_ that question, Commander.”

***

It took two months for all of the squadrons to prepare for battle. During that time, Lightning allowed the team to return to Sparrow so Rex could celebrate Ace’s 7th birthday. While Rex took his son for a ride on his skimmer around the terra, the rest of the team huddled around maps, trying to finalize their strategy.

Lightning and Xander would lead the charge and attack the talons patrolling the perimeter of the terra. If they called for reinforcements, the other squadrons would cover them. Lightning knew his plan was flawless. If the Skyknights could catch the Cyclonians off guard in the same way they did during the Great Race, they could be home within a week.

As usual, things didn’t go as planned. The Storm Hawks and the Red Eagles easily drove off the patrol talons, while the Screaming Queens, Third-Degree Burners, and Absolute Zeroes defended the border a few leagues away. The other squadrons stood by as reinforcements.

“Well, that was easy,” Lightning said, sheathing his sword on his back. The few remaining patrol talons were now retreating towards Cyclonia. There had only been about forty talons, so the two squadrons took them down quickly.

“We’ll patrol the southern border of the kingdom,” Xander said. “You take the North. We’ll switch off with the Interceptors and the Burners at dusk.” Lightning saluted his ally and led his team to the north side of the cluster of terras. He hovered a few hundred feet above the green, rolling pastures. Now that the Cyclonians were gone, some of Gale’s residents emerged from their homes. They waved to the Storm Hawks as they hovered above. Lightning waved back, trying to be friendly. Down on the ground, one person seemed to be waving rather frantically and jumping up and down. Lightning could tell the person was an older man.

“Rex, Rose, you’re with me,” Lightning said, pointing towards the terra below. The three squadron members landed a few feet away from the old man on his terra. It was rather small, and appeared to be entirely farmland. Brown and white spotted cattle grazed up on a hill. Closer to the one building on the terra, clusters of chickens pecked at the dirt. Next to the little stone house were piles of junk. Despite the lack of wheat fields, Lightning was reminded uncomfortably of his home on Terra Sparrow. The Storm Hawks visited right before they left for the Great Race. He and his father were on better terms now, but Lightning thought he looked frail and weak, as if time had taken its toll on his father and was trying to beat him down like wind against an oak tree.

“What do you think you’re doing!?” the old man said, rushing towards Lightning as he, Rex, and Rose dismounted. “You’re scaring my chickens away, flying up there like some savage hawks!” The man had a strong Galic accent, but Lightning still understood him. He struggled to find an appropriate way to respond.

“We’re part of the resistance; here to protect Gale on behalf of the Free Atmos,” Rex said. Despite being almost a foot and a half shorter than Rex, the old man still stared at him with an intimidating stink eye.

“Ah, you are part of the Resistance as well?” the old man asked. He spit into his hand and offered it to Rex. “The name is Wren.”

“Rex, of the Storm Hawks,” the wingman replied as he grasped the man’s hand, trying not to flinch.

“Never heard of you.”

“That’s probably because I’m not the Skyknight,” Rex said. Lightning stepped forward, trying to hide his discomfort at the thought of shaking this man’s wrinkly, gooey hand.

“I’m Lightning Strike; Skyknight of the Storm Hawks.”

“Oh, yes, I remember you,” Wren said, refusing to shake Lightning’s hand.Wren’s disproval in his voice made Lightning forget to be relived that he didn’t have to touch his hand. “I remember you; flying up there like a crazy Cardinal, with your bloody hair. You must not make a good Skyknight; Cyclonians can probably spot your head from miles away.” Wren laughed at his own joke, but Lightning glanced at Rose, unsure if he should be insulted, or just roll with it. Wren continued, “They should have called you the Storm Chickens; you run when Cyclonians come around.” Wren laughed again, but Lightning didn’t think it was funny.

“Now hold on a minute,” he said, assuming the same tone he used to address the other Skyknights. “We helped defend your terra against Cyclonians, and now we’re back to help again. You should be thanking us.”

“Thank _you_?” Wren asked. “You Storm Chickens are the reason our people are besieged! And now you come back, trying to clean up your own mess? You think you can just charge on my terra and tell me what to do—bah! You are no better than Cyclonians!”

“Oh, wow, that’s stretching it a bit,” Rose said as she winced.

“Okay, fine; we’ll be going,” Lightning said, realizing there was no way to win an argument with this old man. “We might have underestimated the Cylonians at your expense, but at least we’re back to help. Just remember; you’re part of the resistance, right? That makes us allies.” As Lightning, Rex, and Rose steered away from the terra, they could hear Wren yelling more insults at them.

“Okay, so, no more interactions with any Galeans,” Lightning said.


	21. Gale Pt 5

The Storm Hawks finished their patrol without any sightings of Cylonians. Lightning tried not to be paranoid, but he still wondered if they were gathering a large group of reinforcements and waiting until nightfall to attack. Unlike most of his squadron, he wasn’t in the mood to sleep that night.

Instead, he and Rose sat together in his room. Rose had her own bunk, and she sometimes spent the nights in Lightning’s room. The first time Conall found Lightning sneaking out of Rose’s room early in the morning, he teased him about it for a few days, even though Lightning swears on his Skyknight’s honor that they’d only talked and fallen asleep together.

Tonight, Lightning stared out the window at the dark sky, sill wearing his Skyknight uniform, munis the boots. It was a cloudy night with no stars. He couldn’t even see any of the nearby terras.

In the past two years, Lightning’s body had become much stronger and leaner than when he was only lifting heavy bags of supplies. He looked more like a man than a lanky teenager, especially now that he was taller. He kept his face clean-shaven though, since what little beard he tried to grow came in patchy.

Rose sat cross-legged behind him, firmly pushing her thumbs and her palms into his tense back muscles. She had also grown a little in the past two years, but her nose barely reached Lightning's shoulder. All the fighting and working on the ship with the boys had toned her body, making her look lean and athletic. She never had a curvy figure before, and even now that she was eighteen, her figure hadn’t filled out as much as most women. She wore her auburn hair in a low braided bun all the time to keep the strands out of her face, although a few pieces still fell out after a fast ride.

“I hate nights like this,” Lightning said as Rose worked on his back. “It makes it easier for the enemy to attack.”

“How many times have we been able to fight back and drive them off?” Rose asked. She wrapped her arms around Lightning’s waist and laid her head against his back.

“I know; I just don’t like getting caught off guard.”

“You can't prepare for everything. Things are going to catch you off guard wherever you go. It’s not just enemies and storms. People will do it to you, too. Someone you never thought you’d care about could become your entire world.”

“I feel like this has nothing to do with being a Skyknight anymore,” Lightning said. He turned and leaned against the corner of the wall so he could face Rose. A playful smirk appeared on his face.

“Does it have to be?” Rose asked, raising an eyebrow. She crawled closer to him so she was almost sitting in his lap.

“No, not all the time,” Lightning said, He leaned forward and slid one hand across her hip and underneath the hem of her shirt, up to the curve in her spine on her lower back. Rose felt the goosebumps rise on her skin in anticipation and prepared for a kiss. Lighting ducked his head and pressed his lips against her neck, just below her jaw. It always made her whole body tingle when he kissed her neck. He started making his way up her jaw and across her cheek with his lips, and her breath grew shallow.

Just as he started leaning in to her lips, the emergency siren blasted throughout the ship. Rose was startled so much, she feel straight off the bed.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Lightning muttered. He dashed off to the main deck barefoot. Simon was not far behind him, running for the helm to turn off the siren.

“Guys, we have a situation,” a Skyknight’s voice said through the radio. Lightning recognized the heavily-accented voice as the leader of the Third Degree Burners. “They called for reinforcements…a lot of them.”

“Storm Hawks will be at the border in a tick,” Lightning said. He glanced over at Simon, who stood in front of the helm in his cloud-patterned pajamas. He looked down at his clothes, then up at the Skyknight.

“I’m not changing,” he said as he took the _Condor_ out of autopilot and glowered at his Skyknight. Lightning headed off to the hangar bay, grabbing his boots from Rose’s hand as she leaned against the wall.

***

Other squadrons were frantically forming up around the Burners. Lightning could see the outline of the massive airships, and the glow of the crystal energy shooting from the crystal converters of hundreds of skimmers. Then, he started to see the red specks.

“This is gonna be fun,” Rose said. She unsheathed her sword, slightly longer than a dagger and thin, glowing with bright blue crystal energy. Lightning grinned at his friend, proud to see her excited in the face of danger. The Red Eagles hovered on Lightning’s right, and the Rex Guardians flanked them on the left.

“Shall we?” Headley asked in an impatient tone. Lightning could see him roll his eyes in the glow of his golden sword.

“Right,” Lightning said. He pulled out his sword and yelled, “Skyknights, attack!”

The battle became a blur to Lightning. He flew through a sea of skimmers, trying to distinguish between Cyclonians and Free Atmosians. He relied mostly on the glow of crystals, since it was too dark and cloudy to pick out individual skimmers. He took down talons coming from every direction; he’d learned his blind spots in the past two years, and was constantly trying to keep an eye on them. He found that the easiest way to see all of his enemies is to keep moving. He soared through the sky, using his sword to deflect red blasts. Noises of skimmer engines, weapons crashing, and battle cries faded into the background around him.

Soon, Lightning noticed the number of skimmers around him thinning. His first thought was that of celebration. When all of the Skyknight squadrons teamed up together, it made battles much easier, despite being such a small resistance compared to Cyclonia.

Now that he wasn’t getting attacked left and right, Lightning could focus in on individual fighters easier. Conall chased down a talon—while wearing just his pajama pants, boots, and an armor plate that covered the top half of his chest—his crossbow aimed and ready to fire. He saw Rose sending her skimmer into a twirling movement to avoid a blast. The _Condor_ was firing at the talons.

“Rex—come in. What’s your status?”

“A little busy at the moment!” his hurried voice came through the radio. Lightning let out a breath. Assuming Simon and Edison were okay on the _Condor,_ this meant his whole squadron was still standing—even if their battle gear was pajamas.

“Lightning—we have a problem,” Xander said through the radio. “There’s a second wave coming.” Lightning scanned the sky, looking for whatever Xander was calling the second wave. If it was anything like the first, Gale was already free.

“That’s not a problem,” he replied, spinning his sword in his hand. He sped off in the same direction the first wave appeared from. He could see more Cyclonian cruisers coming. The sky was peppered with red skimmers.

“Steady, everyone,” Clove’s voice said on the radio. She piloted her purple and gold skimmer closer to Lightning. When they made eye contact, they both nodded once in understanding.

“For Gale!” Lightning yelled, raising his sword into the air. The Skyknights around him raised their weapons and let out a cheer.

“Oh, he can’t be serious,” Simon said from the helm of the _Condor_. Edison reloaded the energy cannons and let out a heavy sigh.

“After all this time, you’re surprised?” he asked.

“After all this time, I’m still hoping he’s joking.” Simon steered the airship towards the talons, knocking a few off their skimmers on the way.

“We just touched up the paint, Simon!”

“Yeah, well… like Lightning said, it’s for Gale.”

Meanwhile, Rose flew side-by-side with a Red Eagle, taking down talons. Two years of training gave her plenty of confidence and agility. Just like Lightning predicted, she was fast, and her thin, lightweight weapon helped.

“Lightning trains his squadron well,” the Red Eagle, Cal, said as he fended off a talon with his red blade. Rose grinned and deflected a blast with her own sword.

“Xander’s training isn’t that bad, either,” she said. Cal let out a laugh, but Rose didn’t laugh with him. Her eyes were focused on a talon in Cal’s blind spot. She screamed for Cal to duck and raised her sword, deflecting a blast from a talon that would have taken out his head. Cal quickly fired a blast that sent the talon’s skimmer into a smoking tailspin.

“Thanks for that,” Cal said. Rose flew close enough to bump his fist.

“Hey, I’ve got your back,” she told him.

Rex wasn’t doing as well as Rose. He and Conall teamed up, but talons forced them to separate. Now, they flew in different directions, chasing down red skimmers. Rex fired a blast of blue energy from one of his twin blades, hitting the right blaster cannon on the talon’s skimmer in front of him. When the Talon noticed his cannon was smoking, Rex took advantage of the distraction and aimed another blast for the skimmer’s engine.

“Conall, what’s your status?” he said to the radio. Another talon came after him, and he sent his skimmer into a swift tailspin to avoid getting blasted out of the sky.

“Uh, I lost you—wait, I see you. You’re at my two o’clock.” Rex spun his skimmer around and scanned the sky. He caught sight of Conall’s blue skimmer and raced over to join him. When he was within range, he used his sword to shoot down one of the talons pursuing Conall.

“Three on your tail—I’ve got ‘em,” he told his wingman. He quickly took down two of the talons. Conall turned in his seat and aimed his crossbow at the last talon.

“Nice,” Conall said. He flew his skimmer upside-down and reached down to high-five Rex. “Damn, you are gonna have one hell of a story to tell Ace when we get home.”

A few minutes later, Lightning finally located the Commander in the sea of talons. He aimed a shot at the skimmer’s wing, causing just enough damage to grab the Commander’s attention. He whipped his head around, staff ready to fire. When he saw Lightning, he tried to shoot a blast at him, but Lightning maneuvered away. The two chased after one another for a bit, sending blasts between the two of them. Lightning flew closer, ready to take a swipe at the Commander with his sword. Then, a shot hit the motor of his skimmer, causing it to veer to the left and lose altitude. Lightning quickly bailed, taking his sword and a shield with him. He deployed his parachute and landed on the edge of one of the terras of Gale. The Commander landed nearby and transformed his skimmer into bike mode. He zoomed towards Lightning, who tucked and rolled away to avoid getting run over. The Commander flew into the air.

“Why don’t you come down here and fight me like a man?” Lightning called out.

“Oh, believe me; it’s much more fun watching you scramble around from up here,” the Commander said. He let out a hearty laugh, which made Lightning’s blood boil. He wished he had a skimmer to fly up there and punch the Commander in the face.

As if on cue, a blast knocked the Commander out of the seat, sending him and his staff plummeting to the terra. He tucked and rolled when he landed, coming up with one hand on his staff. Lightning saw an Absolute Zero fly by and shout a battle cry before zooming off. He made a mental note to thank the Zeros for their help later.

Lightning charged at the Commander and engaged him in a swordfight. The two parried each other, staff against sword. Lightning used his shield to deflect the Commander’s blasts from his staff.

“Don’t you Skyknights have anything better to do than mess with other people’s property?” the Commander said, pinning Lightning’s sword at an awkward angle. Lightning dropped his shield and used two hands on his sword to push the Commander away.

“Last time I checked, Gale is part of the _Free_ Atmos,” Lightning replied. As they fought on the narrow point of land, they both pushed each other back towards the edge. Only a few more steps and either one of them would end up in the Wastelands. Lightning tried to force the Commander backwards. He was unsuccessful at throwing him over the edge, but he did manage to disarm him and send his crystal staff over the edge instead. Lightning pointed his sword at the Commander, forcing him backwards. He could see the fear in the Commander’s eyes as he stared over his shoulder then back at Lightning, trying to decide his next move. It was at that time that Rose landed her skimmer behind Lightning and joined him, pointing her sword at the Commander, too.

“Your armies are retreating,” she said. Lightning hadn’t noticed what was going on in the sky around him. He figured Rose wasn’t bluffing.

“In other words, you lose,” Lightning said. He saw the anger raging in the Commander’s eyes. Something behind Lightning and Rose had caught his eye. He smirked just the slightest bit, enough for Lightning to notice and turn around. A talon was dive-bombing the terra. He aimed at Rose and Lightning, who dove in separate directions to avoid getting blasted. The talon flew next to the Commander and he jumped up behind his talon on the skimmer.

“There are much worse things in store for you,” the Commander said. “You haven’t seen the worst of Cyclonia’s wrath yet.”

“Try me,” Lightning said, trying to be threatening from his place on the ground. The talon took off, leaving Lightning and Rose alone on the terra. The sun was about to come up, and the world was bathed in a faint grey light. Lightning watched more red skimmers flying away from the terras, back towards Cyclonia. Only three cruisers survived. Up in the sky, multicolored skimmers and cruisers hovered in the air. Lightning heard the cheers from high above him.

“We did it,” he said, offering Rose a hand to help her up. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Simon’s voice on Rose’s skimmer radio quickly drew them apart.

“Lightning, we need you on the _Condor_. It’s an emergency.”


	22. Gale Pt 6

Rose flew as fast as the skimmer would carry her and Lightning. Just inside the door to the hangar bay, Simon and Conall knelt over someone sitting on the floor, leaning against a skimmer. Lightning recognized his wingman’s dark hair and sprinted down the runway.

“What happened?” he asked as he slid to his knees beside Rex. His face was pale and sweaty. His right arm was crossed over his torso, and his hand draped over his side, as if he was trying to cover up a wound. Lightning could see the dark stain on his side.

“Crystal blast; I’ll be fine,” Rex said. His voice sounded shallow. Lightning wasn’t convinced. He looked up at Simon and Conall’s faces, wondering what they all were thinking.

“That’s not a burn,” Lightning said. Rex took the opportunity to wince, so Conall spoke for him.

“He hit a skimmer right in the sweet spot,” he said, referencing the place on the Cyclonian skimmer’s motor that, if hit at just the right angle and speed, caused the whole skyride to explode. “A piece of shrapnel got him in the side.”

Edison appeared, sprinting through the doorway to the rest of the ship. He held miscellaneous medical supplies in his arms—bandages, medicine, scissors, and tape. He dumped everything on the hangar floor and ordered Rex to move his hand. Rex’s uniform was torn, and a large gash ran across his skin. Lightning could tell by the amount of blood seeping out that it was a deep cut. Rose gasped, and Lightning squeezed her upper arm to keep her from passing out or throwing up. Edison set to work cleaning up Rex’s injury.

“We need to get help,” Lightning said to Simon. The helmsman took off town the hallway. A few seconds later, the _Condor’s_ hangar door closed and the ship had picked up speed. Lightning stayed by Rex’s side as Edison tried to clean his wound. Rose and Conall went to join Simon on the main deck.

“Don’t worry about me,” Rex said. “I’ll be good as new tomorrow.” It was hard for Lightning to believe him. His wingman was trembling.

“Of course you will,” Lightning said. “Besides, we have to celebrate Ace’s birthday.”

“Right,” Rex said. His smile looked more like a grimace to Lightning. He was grateful Rex was holding up well.

“Why is it glow—oh, no,” Edison said.

“Don’t say, ‘oh no’,” Lightning scolded.

“There’s some leftover crystal dust stuck in the wound,” Edison explained. He looked at Rex and said, “I can get it out before it poisons your blood, but it’s going to be painful.”

“Do it,” Rex said without hesitation. “I’ve got a birthday party to go to.” He smiled and winked at Lightning. Edison ran off in the corridor to grab more supplies. Rex took a sharp breath, and Lightning wished he could do something to ease his wingman’s pain.

“Listen, Lightning, if for some reason I don’t make it—“

“Stop; Melanie and Ace are counting on you.”

“I know.” Rex took a deep breath. “Just… in case... you’ll look out for them.”

“I won’t have to; you’ll still be around.”

“Promise me you’ll look after them.” The look in Rex’s eyes scared Lightning. He sounded way too sure of himself.

“I promise.”

After Edison cleaned Rex’s wound, Lightning and Conall helped carry him on s stretcher to the medical room. The sun was already up, and Simon was flying the _Condor_ as fast as it would go. Edison assured Lightning that Rex would be fine; he used a special extraction crystal to get the dust out of Rex’s wound. All he had to do now was rest, and he would be back to normal. They were flying to Atmosia so the doctors could have a look at him, too. Lightning refused to leave Rex’s side. He sat with his wingman, talking to him until he fell asleep. Lightning was dosing in his chair when Rose appeared in the doorway.

“You should get some sleep in a real bed,” she said. Lightning glanced over at Rex. His skin had taken on a strange greyish hue, but his breathing was fine, so Lightning wasn’t worried.

“I’m fine here,” he said. Rose squeezed his shoulder before she left. Within seconds, Lightning was out like a light. He felt like he’d only slept for a few minutes when he woke up. He’d fallen asleep with his head on his arms crossed on the edge of Rex’s bed. He watched his wingman’s chest, waiting for it to move. He waited. And waited.

“Edison! Ed!” he cried out as he dashed towards the main deck. He almost collided with Edison in the hallway. Lightning followed him back to the medical room, and Conall and Rose joined them after a few seconds.

“What happened?” Edison asked. He checked Rex’s wrist for a pulse.

“I don’t know,” Lightning said, his voice trembling as his heart raced. He tried his best to stay calm, but his voice was quiet as he spoke. “I fell asleep and he was fine. Then, I woke up, and he wasn’t breathing, and I didn't know...” He stopped when he saw Edison drop his shoulders and bow his head.

When Edison turned to look at his teammates, Lightning could tell by his eyes that there was no good news to tell. To his right, Conall wiped his hand down his face, like he usually did when he was tired. On his left, Rose’s breath caught in her throat, and she covered her hand with her mouth. Lightning pulled her in towards his chest as tears started to fall from her eyes. Edison’s eyes were also tearing up, and he removed his glasses to wipe them with his sleeve. Lightning’s team stared at him for orders, but he only had one thought on his mind: he had to tell Melanie and Ace. His throat felt as if it closed up completely. He cleared his throat and forced the words out.

“Set course for Sparrow.”

***

Rose had never heard the _Condor_ run so loudly. Without any voices, every creak, whistle, and rumble echoed around the main deck, white noise filling the empty space. Outside, the clouds were dense and grey, and small drops of rain splashed against the windows. She’d been avoiding Lightning, letting him plan ahead for the daunting task looming over his head. Simon steered the _Condor_ at a comfortable speed; there was no reason to rush home. Conall and Edison had shut themselves up in their rooms. Rose took one last look around the main deck, then set off down the hallway. When she reached the door to Edison’s bunk, she knocked.

“Ed? It’s Rose.” The metal doors slid open. Edison retreated to his bed and pulled his knees up to his chest. Rose stepped in the doorway. “How are you?”

“Been better.” Rose noticed the nasally sound of Edison’s voice. His glasses magnified the red around his eyes.

“I just wanted to check up on you,” Rose said. She sat on the edge of the bed, watching Edison as he slumped over his knees. He sniffled and kept his eyes to the floor.

"I did everything I could," he said.

"We know you did," Rose said.

"But it still wasn't enough."

"No. Don't you dare blame yourself for this," Rose scolded. "It was an accident. You saved him so he could die peacefully instead of in pain. You gave him that mercy, Ed."

“Rex was like an older brother to me," Edison said after waiting a beat. "When you grow up with two baby sisters and a father who spends most of his time at the local pub, it’s a good thing to have someone like him to look up to.” She placed a hand on Edison’s shoulder and squeezed lightly. Edison adjusted his glasses on his face and finally looked over at Rose.

"I don't have anything to say that can make this better," she said. "But, if you need someone to talk to, you know I'm here for you. And I'll even give out hugs if they're needed." She smiled, and Edison gave her a small smile in return.

"Can I get one of those hugs now?"

***

The _Condor_ slowed as it descended upon Sparrow. Rose tried to be excited to see her parents again, but the real reason for their visit loomed over her like a thick cloud. She found her Skyknight alone in the hangar bay. He stood watching the left wall, where everyone’s weapons hung on the wall. Lightning’s sword hung on the left, blade facing the floor. Rose’s sword also hung with the blade pointed down on the other side of the wall. Simon’s scepter hung horizontal across the middle of the wall. Conall’s crossbow was mounted in the top right corner. In the center of the wall, two short swords hung diagonally, blades up, with the handles facing in and the blades facing outwards.

Rose stood next to Lightning, but didn’t speak to him right away. The two of them studied the wall, staring at the two blades that would never be wielded by their owner again. After the ship landed, Simon, Conall, and Edison emerged. Lightning gazed at his squadron, making eye contact with each of them before descending the ramp. The rest of the team followed.

Rose watched as Lightning walked towards Melanie, Lissie, and Claudius. Then, she saw Melanie’s expression change. She covered her face with her hands and her shoulders shook. Lighting and Lissie crowded around her. Rose saw Mickey move out of the corner of her eye and caught her arm.

“Wait,” Rose said. She wanted to comfort Melanie, but there was nothing she could say that would bring Rex back. Instead, she watched Melanie from a distance. She wasn’t sobbing loudly, but Rose could tell that every piece of her existence was shattering inside.

Rose wondered if she would ever be the woman in the middle of the crowd with tears streaming down her face and a heart breaking into thousands of pieces because her Skyknight didn’t step off the ship this time. The thought terrified her. Lightning wasn’t even her husband, but she couldn’t imagine how much it would hurt if he was suddenly gone. She couldn’t imagine how much guilt she would feel if she lost him during a mission.

Lissie and Claudius walked Melanie away from the crowd and all the attention. Rose saw this as her chance to go speak with Lightning. She told Mickey to wait just a little longer. Lightning was bent down on one knee, talking to Ace, who was now taller than Lightning when he knelt. He was trying to explain to Ace what happened, but he seemed to be having trouble.

“He’s never coming back?” Ace asked. His voice sounded like a child who was about to start a temper tantrum for not getting his way.

“Ace, listen,” Lightning started to say, but the little boy already had tears in his eyes.

“No! This is all your fault!” he shouted. Everyone in the crowd turned their heads. Ace took off, disappearing between the legs of the people in the crowd. Lightning chased after him, leaving Rose standing alone in a sea of mourning villagers.


	23. Gale Pt 7

Later that night, Rose and Lightning lay on the roof of the airship with their heads together, staring up at the sky. It stopped raining and the clouds cleared to reveal the stars. Rose imagined that the sky was trying to be beautiful for the terra’s sake, to honor Rex.

“I went to see Melanie,” Rose said. “She can pull herself back together with time. She’s strong.” Lightning didn't respond right away, so Rose continued. "Simon radioed Ulysses on the way home. He should be here tomorrow in time for the funeral." Rose was hoping her report would comfort Lightning, but he didn’t seem to relax any more.

“I have to present Melanie with our flag,” he said. Rose could tell by his tone that this was a task he was not looking forward to.

“Do you think Ace will be okay?” Lightning still hadn't met Rose's eye. He shrugged and kept his gaze up.

“Dunno. He refuses to even look at me. He blames me for what happened to his dad.” Lightning paused and let out a breath. “I just wish…”

“Don’t think like that,” Rose said. She reached over, found his hand, and linked her fingers through his. “Rex’s death was not for nothing. He helped liberate an entire kingdom. Tell me that’s not an honorable way to be remembered.” Finally, Lightning looked his navigator in the eye.

“He’s still gone.”

“Yes; he’s gone, but that doesn’t mean you stop doing your job. All Rex wanted was to see a peaceful world for his family. The least you can do is try to make his dream come true.”

“We should get some rest,” Lightning said, and kissed her cheek. “It’s been a long day. I’ll be down in a minute.” After Rose left, Lightning stayed sitting up on the roof, staring out at the village roofs. He was finally feeling the exhaustion after the previous night's battle. He was fairly certain his mind, which was runin off in a million different directions, wouldn't let him get any rest tonight.

“You two make a cute couple,” said a voice. Lightning jumped into a standing position so fast that he almost slipped off the edge of the roof. He didn’t have his sword with him, but he raised his hands in a defensive position.

“Who’s there?” he asked. His eyes swept across the long expanse of the metal roof, but in the dark, it was hard to see anything.

“Not over there,” the voice said again. Lightning turned and looked out over the runway, but no one was there. “Woo hoo.” He turned back around to see a multicolored falcon sitting on top of the escape hatch. The bird cocked its head knowingly, as if he was waiting for Lightning to say something.

“Where did you come from?” he asked. Suddenly, the bird morphed into a tall, thin man wearing a hooded cape the same colors as the bird’s feathers. He held a staff with a large, red, circular crystal on top. Lightning didn’t see the man as a threat, so he lowered his hands.

“I’ve been following you around for awhile now, Lightning Strike,” the bird man said.

“You… know my name?”

“Of course! I know everything about you, Skyknight of the Storm Hawks. Although, I can’t figure out why you haven’t gotten a better haircut by now.”

“If you're following me, how come I’ve never seen you before?”

“I like my privacy,” the man said, leaning closer and winking. Lightning was still trying to process how this man transformed from a bird.

“Who are you?” Lightning asked. The man slipped his hood off of his head, revealing a wild mane of purple and green hair. He resembled his animal form with his thick eyebrows and hooked nose.

“The name’s Arygyn,” he said. He turned sideways with his hands on his hips and shoulders back, as if he rehearsed his introduction before.

“Wait, you mean the Guardian, Arygyn?” Lightning said. He ran his fingers through his hair. “That would explain the bird.”

“Ah, so he’s smart, too,” Arygyn said. “Though, not smart enough to match his clothes.”

“What?”

“If you’re going into battle, you’ve got to be dressed to impress.” Lightning pulled at the hem of his shirt.

“Are you here to criticize my clothes?”

“I wish that’s what I was here for, but we have slightly more pressing matters on our hands." Arygyn's tone lost it's playfulness and suddenly turned very serious. "Atmosia is on the edge of complete destruction. I’ve seen it. Your squadron is going to play a large part in that destruction.”

“Wait—you’re not saying that my squadron is responsible for Atmos’ fall to Cyclonia.” Lightning waited eagerly for Arygyn to refute his question, but the famous Guardian turned his back on the Skyknight.

“It’s hard to tell, but the other Guardians and I agree that the prophecy we received directly involves you.”

“How?”

“It’s all a little fuzzy up there,” Arygyn said, making circles with his fingers around his temples. “I do know that something’s coming… and it’s coming for you.” Lightning wasn’t sure how to respond to Arygyn’s prophecy. He wanted to know more so he could prepare for whatever would come, but at the same time, he was afraid to know everything. Guardian prophecies were often fixed prophecies, and there was nothing anyone could do to avoid them. People had gone mad in the past trying desperately to escape their fates.

“You could train me,” he said. “You could train my whole squadron, get all of us ready for whatever’s coming for us.” Arygyn gave Lightning a sad, knowing look, making Lightning wonder what other things he’d seen in Lightning’s future.

“Not all of your squadron will be there when the time comes,” he said. “But, I can tell you that I’ll be around, just like I have been.” Arygyn smiled widely like a celebrity, but Lightning wasn’t impressed. “Make me proud!”

Then, Arygyn transformed into a bird and flew away.

***

Lightning chose to withhold his conversation with Arygyn from everyone. He didn’t want to worry anyone, especially Rose, and it didn’t seem right to complain about his personal problems when he was about to honor Rex.

The Storm Hawks organized the funeral the same way they did for Arlo. As the sunset, the squadron released Rex’s ashes into the wind. Then, the rest of the terra released lanterns into the sky. The lanterns were thought to help guide Rex’s spirit to the afterlife.

After all the lanterns were in the sky, Lightning presented a folded flag to Melanie. It only took him three steps to get to her, but it felt like walking across the long hall in the Skyknight Council lobby. Melanie kept the same sullen look on her face through the whole ceremony; only shedding a few tears. Ace had stayed by his mother’s side, mostly staring at either her or the ground.

Lightning knelt before Melanie and held the flag out. Melanie took it from his hands with caution, as if it was the last photo she had of her husband. She held the flag to her chest, and for the first time that day, Lightning watched her fall apart. Melanie broke into sobs. Ace glared at Lightning as if he’d hit his mother and made her cry. Lightning watched the young boy, wanting so bad to go back in time and fix things for him, but deep down, he knew that Skyknights didn't have the ability to save everyone.

***

For the first time in almost a year, Lightning escaped to his old room in his home on Sparrow. He usually tried to spend time with his family while the squadron was grounded, but they hardly ever stayed for more than two days before they were called off on a mission.

Lightning found his old bedroom the same way he’d left it, with the pictures of famous Skyknights and tricked-out skimmers tacked to the wall. His farm boots sat next to the door, and his straw hat hung on a peg on the wall. Lightning’s bunk on the _Condor_ had become more familiar to him; his old bedroom felt like a stranger’s room in a stranger’s home. His room was nothing more than a reminder of his childhood. Despite the comfort of his old life, Lightning had trouble sleeping that night. Arygyn’s prophecy tumbled through his head again. Half of him wanted to know more about it, and the other half wished he was never a part of it. Xander had told him once about an encounter he had with the Guardians before.

“Once you’re part of a prophecy, there’s no getting out of it,” he’d said.

_Something's coming for you._

Lightning was worried that in this prophecy, the “something” wasn’t anything good.


	24. A New Generation Pt 1

“Talons surrounded the Skyknight. His team was nowhere to be found. He thought for sure—this was the end! But, then, he heard the loud rumbling horn of his mighty airship, _The Condor_ , as it joined him from below. The _Condor_ shot each and every one of the talons out of the sky. Atmos' greatest Skyknight swooped in and knocked the Commander off his skyride, sending him straight to the Wastelands!”

“That's not how it went,” Conall argued from his spot on the ground. He lounged in the dirt with his head propped on a pillow. Other members of the Storm Hawks squadron sat in piles of pillows, all surrounding a small fire pit. They gathered in Ulysses' backyard after another one of Naima's incredible feasts. In the setting sun, the bonfire illuminated everyone's faces.

“Okay, so the Commander didn't die when he fell into the Wastelands,” the storyteller admitted. She stood in a blue uniform, just like the rest of the Storm Hawks. Her closely-cropped blonde hair fell over one of her brown eyes, giving her a rough, masculine appearance.

“Come on, Mick; you just ruined the best part,” Lightning said. Rose sat in front of him, her head resting against his chest. He kept her close with his arms tightly would around her body. Mick rolled her eyes at her Skyknight. Even at twenty, she could have passed for a young man with her short hair and stocky shoulders. She'd even been called _he_ before, and she didn't bother to correct the person. To Mick, the only thing that defined her was her name and the squadron she flew with—even if she’d only been with them for two months.

“Yeah, there should be blood,” Sadie added. She was older now, just getting into her teens.

“Lots of it,” her older sister, Delphi said. Delphi was old enough to join a squadron now, but Ulysses forbade it, telling her that she had much better talents working with crystals.

Ulysses and Naima had married just about a year ago. Lightning tried to bring his squadron around to Saharr to catch up with Ulysses whenever they were nearby. Now, they were back to introduce their newest member to Ulysses.

Mick began retelling the story with more dangerous, gory details. The two young girls giggled and howled with delight when Mick described how Conall impaled a talon with his crossbow. Conall stood up next to Mick and demonstrated his dangerous acts. Naima called the story to an end when Mick started describing how Edison ripped a talon's intestines straight out of his gut. Edison had gone very pale during that story.

“The Storm Hawks have a long journey ahead of them tomorrow,” she said. Delphi and Sadie started to protest, but Lightning said, “We should head out soon. We've got a full day of traveling ahead of us.”

***

The team said goodbye before boarding the ship. Once they were up in the air, the team retreated to their own corners of the ship. Each one had their own ritual for traveling long distances across quadrants. Simon would pilot the ship through the rougher skies, and switch to autopilot when the sky was wide open. Then, he'd study charts, or clean the main deck, always staying close to the helm in case of a surprise attack. Very rarely, he would nap on the sofa if it was quiet.

Edison usually read books about crystals. If they were traveling through smooth skies, he would retreat to his room, where he kept a small laboratory of equipment for testing crystals. Lightning could thank Edison for outfitting all the artilleries with powerful, weapons-grade crystals.

Conall would disappear to the hangar bay, where he would tinker with his skyride or fix any problems with the skimmers. He would spend almost full days there, only leaving for bathroom breaks or food. Mick often followed, interested in the armory of weapons. She was like Conall’s apprentice, helping him out with mechanical duties. The two had developed a brother-sister relationship over the past two months.

In the beginning of the two months that Mick had been part of the team, Lightning would train her during their long trips. Now, she was practically ready, so Lightning spent most of his time roaming the ship, checking on its condition and his team. Often Rose would accompany him, if she wasn't studying maps or reading books. She was constantly reading about different parts of Atmos, so the team could be prepared for any strange encounter on a terra. Luckily, the past few months had been relatively calm.

***

Two days later, almost two years after the battle for Gale, Lightning and his squadron returned to Atmosia to celebrate Gale's new squadron. It was Lightning's idea to help Gale form its own squadron. It seemed unreasonable to him for the other Skyknights to patrol the Kingdom until Cyclonia was no longer a threat. Lightning wasn't sure if that would ever happen. He knew liberating Gale was only a minor setback in Cyclonia’s plans. He needed as many allies as possible. Arygyn’s prophecy only reminded him to be prepared. Being a Skyknight wasn’t about traveling across Atmos and saving people along the way anymore. Now, being a Skyknight meant doing everything possible to prevent a war with Cyclonia.

The Rebel Ducks had officially registered earlier that morning, the day after a Galean citizen named Cardinal was knighted as a Skyknight. Clove scouted him out about a year ago and recommended him to Lightning. They'd spent the last half a year helping to train the Ducks. By the looks of the new squadron, the kingdom was the safest it had been in decades. 

The Atmosian party was just as jubilant as the day Lightning was knighted. Skyknights and their squadrons from all over Atmos gathered to celebrate the new squadron. Lightning could enjoy the celebrations even more this time, because his dance partner was present. He and Rose spun across the square, dancing as if they were the only two there.

“Cyclonia has been pretty dormant for the past year,” Rose said. “They haven't done much more than attack our cargo ships. They must be preparing for something big.” Lightning spun her in a circle and pulled her close again. A live band was playing a traditional Atmosian folk song with a slow, rhythmic pattern.

“Whatever it is, we'll be ready,” Lightning replied. “The last thing Atmos needs is a war.”

"We'll all be ready, including your new wingman," Rose added, nodding at something to Lightning’s left. He turned and saw Simon, Conall, Edison, and Mick, all wearing matching blue uniforms. The Storm Hawks, accompanied by some other Skyknights, banged their cups on a table and guzzled their drinks. Mick was the first to finish. She threw her hands up in success.

"Looks like she's fitting in just fine."

No one questioned Mick joining the team; Lightning made her “audition” for a position on the team by showing off her fighting skills back on Sparrow. After joining the team, Mick learned to fly a skimmer within a day. She impressed all of them in her first battle against Cyclonians, when she jumped onto a blaster cannon and shot six talons out of the sky within seconds.

“She doesn't have to replace him,” Rose started. Lightning caught Mick’s eye and gave her a nod.

“She's not. No one could ever replace him. She just has his job title.”

***

The Storm Hawks returned to Sparrow the next morning. They had some down time for a few days, and chose to spend it with their families. Lightning had a busy schedule while his team was grounded. All the village elders and young children wanted to see their Skyknight. However, Lightning's family took priority over all of them. First, he visited his parents. His father had developed a heavy cough in the last few weeks, and couldn't work in the field anymore. His mother had taken up a job working at a store a few blocks down the road to cover expenses until he recovered.

Claudius sat in one of the living room chairs, a blanket curled around his shoulders. Sparrow hadn’t completely entered its colder season yet, but Claudius was feeling the chill. When Lightning first showed up at the house, he was startled to see his father in such a fragile state. He’d lost a lot of weight, but his stubbornness was still there. Lightning sat and spoke with his father for most of the day, telling him stories about their most recent adventures, and his plan to strengthen his team. Claudius was still reluctant to completely agree with his son's way of life, but as long as traditions were upheld and Cyclonia was kept at bay, he couldn't complain.

“How are things going with Rose?” Claudius asked.

“You mean Mick? Well, she needs to work on her temper. One time, she was on the blaster cannon, and—“

“No, no I meant Rose,” Claudius said, waving his hands. “Have you talked to her father yet?” It took Lightning a few seconds to understand what his father was asking.

“Oh.” He scratched the back of his neck and glanced at the floor, hoping his father couldn’t see his cheeks flushing. “I…haven’t spoken to him.”

“You better do it soon, boy. You’re what, twenty now?”

“Dad, I don’t think—“

“You can’t wait until you retire. By then, she’ll be too old to have children.”

“Dad!”

“What?”

“We’re not getting married.”

Claudius started at Lightning, trying to comprehend his sentence. Lightning clenched his jaw and crossed his arms over his chest as he stared back, anxious to hear his father’s reaction.

“That’s nonsense! The whole terra is waiting for the wedding.”

“There isn’t going to be a wedding, Dad.”

“Surely, she wants one.”

“Well, she doesn’t.”

Claudius forced out a ragged cough that shook his whole body. Lightning wished there was something he could do to make his father more comfortable.

“Whose idea was this, huh? Did those Skyknight Council people tell you two you can’t get married ‘cause you’re squadron members or somethin’?”

“No, Dad; it was our decision. We made it together.”

"Next you're gonna tell me she don't want kids."

"She..." Lightning let out a heavy sigh, certain his father wouldn't approve of his answer.

“This is all that Skyknight nonsense messin’ with your head,” Claudius went on. “You’re from Sparrow, boy, and I expect you to stay true to your traditions, not stray away like your crazy uncle Arlo did. Look what happened to him!”

“You can’t blame him for anything I want to do that you don’t approve of,” Lightning argued. “He made his own decisions. I’m making mine. Maybe—” Lightning stopped speaking, hearing a low rumble outside. He jumped out of his seat and listened intently, wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him. The screams in the distance proved his theory right. “I have to go."

Before Claudius could say anything, Lightning was out the door.


	25. A New Generation Pt 2

Red skimmers swarmed like a cluster of birds above Sparrow. Lightning thought his eyes were deceiving him. Why would talons be here? Sparrow was the closest terra to Atmosia—the center of the Free Atmos. How did they manage to get so deep into free territory?

He'd left his sword, skimmer, and armor on the airship, which was parked all the way across town. He ran as fast as his feet would carry him across the cobblestone street. As he passed people standing outside, he ordered them to stay inside.

A red blast zoomed past Lightning, barely clipping his ear. He stopped for just a second to make sure both ears were still in tact, before dashing off again. He needed to get back to the ship as fast as possible. He wished he'd thought of bringing some coms gear with him, but since when had they ever needed it before on their home Terra?

"Lightning!" Again, the Skyknight came to a stop on the street. His eyes widened in terror when he saw who had called his name.

“Ace?” Lighting said the boys name as if he was questioning if he was really there. The ten-year-old dashed towards the Skyknight. His jet-black hair was cut short, and stuck up on top of his head. He was tall for his age, made up of mostly long, thin limbs. Lightning grabbed the young boy by his shoulder and pulled him under an awning, where they crouched behind a stack of wooden crates. “What’re you doing out here? Where’s your mother?”

“She’s in the shop with your mom. I came to help,” Ace announced. Lightning watched the talons flying overhead.

“You need to get inside. It’s not safe out here.”

“But I can help! I've been practicing.” Ace jumped up and started a fighting maneuver, but Lightning jerked him back behind the crates. A red blast landed on the street in the exact spot Ace had been standing, cracking a cobblestone into rubble.

“No, Ace. Not now.” Lightning was grateful the boy had gotten over his grudge about his father, but the last thing he needed now was to worry about a lanky shadow following him around.

“But—“

“Get inside where it’s safe,” Lightning said. He’d lost the kind, brotherly tone he usually spoke in while talking to Ace. Now, he was using his _Skyknight-giving-orders_ voice.

“Fine.” Lightning could see the disappointment in his godson’s eyes.

“Look… sometime, when you’re older and you’re trained, you can help me in every battle; I promise,” Lightning said. “Just not today. Now, come on.” He led Ace through the streets to his mother's shop, where he left the boy under the protection of the employees.

By the time Lightning got to the _Condor_ , two people were already on board manning the blaster cannons. The hangar bay was empty, but Conall, Simon, and Mick’s weapons were missing. Only Rex’s twin swords, Lightning’s sword, and Rose’s sword remained. Lighting figured Rose was probably on her way from her parents’ house. He grabbed both of their swords and flew into the sky. He flew low, just over the rooftops, using his weapon to defend himself against red blasts. He tried to glance down at the street whenever he could, to see if he could find Rose.

When Lightning circled back around to the airship, he saw Rose dart out of an alleyway and make a break for the ship. He dove his skimmer down to the earth and called her name.

“Rose, catch!” he said, tossing her sword down to her. Rose caught her sword one-handed and saluted her Skyknight before continuing towards the ship. Lightning focused his attention back on the talons. He located Mick, who was spinning through the air on her skimmer to avoid getting blasted. A group of talons were chasing her.

“Alright; Mick, I see you. Sound off—who’s airborne?” he asked his radio.

“Simon and Ed in the ship, ready for takeoff,” Simon’s voice responded.

“Here!” Conall responded in a rushed voice.

“Navigator reporting in,” Rose responded a few seconds later.

 _The Condor_ was airborne shortly after Rose's transmission. Together, the group soared around the terra, defending their home from the talons. Mick fought with a staff she built. She could use it to fire crystal blasts, or impale enemies, but she mostly used it for jousting maneuvers, to knock talons out of the seats of their skimmers. Conall and Rose were aiming for the skimmers, trying to take out the engines. Lightning preferred to get up close to cut into skimmers, clipping the wings of two skimmers at a time. Meanwhile, Simon and Edison flew the airship, aiming the blaster cannons at any red skimmer within range.

With some effort, the team managed to drive away the talons. Lightning made sure they were out of his line of sight before returning to the ground. There, everyone was emerging from homes and buildings, meeting their squadron in the field to cheer for their victory. Lightning eagerly scanned the crowd. Most of the inhabitants on Sparrow had light-colored hair, so it was easy to pick out Melanie and Ace in the crowd. Lissie stood next to them. Lightning breathed a sigh of relief. Assuming his father stayed in the house, everyone was safe.

“Is anyone hurt?” he asked the crowd. “If anyone is injured, we need to help them right away.” Luckily, only a handful of people had sustained injuries. Simon, Edison, and Rose helped the doctors, gathering supplies and assisting the people who couldn’t walk on their own. Conall, Lightning, and Mick surveyed the damage. When the team met up at _The_ _Condor_ later, they tried to justify the attack.

“Why would a group of talons come this far into free territory?” Edison asked. Cyclonians often entered free territory, but they hadn’t come so far in decades. Simon and Rose were pouring over maps, trying to figure out how the talons found their way in.

“Judging by the size of the ambush, they weren’t expecting us to be here,” Conall pointed out.

“This was probably supposed to be an attack to put us on edge, or to scare us into our place,” Lightning said. “If they were expecting a fight, they would have brought more than one airship, and the Commander would have been here.”

“They probably couldn’t sneak any more airships past the border,” Rose explained. “It’s a lot more suspicious than a group of patrol talons.”

“Can you imagine the look on Cyclonis’ face when she finds out we were here, and her little scare mission failed?” Mick said.

“They’ll be back,” Lightning said. “They were just giving us a taste of their medicine.”

“Then we better give them a taste of ours,” Rose said with a wink.

***

A talon captain trudged through the halls of Cyclonia’s fortress, dreading his upcoming meeting. He wrung his hands and mumbled to himself, trying to word his report in the best way possible. No matter his word choice, he knew the queen would not approve.

The captain arrived at the tall double-doors. Two guards on either side opened them for him. He stepped tentatively into the throne room, as if he was worried that the queen already knew his attack had failed, and had set up traps around the room to punish him.

“Captain Borough, What news do you bring me?” the queen asked. She sat in her throne, resting one elbow on the arm of the chair.

“N-news,” the Captain stuttered.

“How did the surprise party go?”

“It… went.”

“What happened?” Captain Borough could hear the disappointment in Master Cyclonis’ voice. He tried to stop his knees from shaking.

“Well… the Storm Hawks were there.” Master Cyclonis’ bored expression suddenly turned livid.

“Then you shouldn’t have engaged,” she scolded.

“I… we didn’t see them until after we’d attacked, Master.”

“That’s not an excuse.” The queen snapped her fingers. Two armed talons appeared at her side. “You know how we deal with failure on Cyclonia, Captain. I figured you would try your best to avoid that. Now, the Free Atmos knows we can penetrate their borders, and they’ll be on high alert now. Our incognito movements are done for.” She turned to the talon on her right and said, “Take him.”

“Wait, I can explain; our moves were justified…” Captain Borough’s voice carried out the throne room and into the hallway as the talons dragged him away. Seconds later, The Commander appeared, glancing over his shoulder. When he turned his head, he wore a confused expression.

“What was that about?” he asked.

“Failure,” Master Cylconis said, her voice as casual as if she was describing the weather. “Something you hardly ever achieve.”

“I always try my best, Master.”

“That you do,” Master Cyclonis said. She stared in the distance, thinking hard. “Perhaps we’ve been going at this all wrong.”

“Master?”

“Ever since their little shenanigans with Gale, The Storm Hawks have become a powerful asset to the Free Atmos. Everyone looks up to them. We can’t have that happen. It’s time to tarnish their perfect record.”

“But, Master, the Raptors failed to eliminate them.”

“Let the Raptors continue to believe the little fantasy that they can destroy the squadrons. My next assignment is for you.”


	26. A New Generation Pt 3

“Simon, what’s our status?”

“Uh… foggy skies, no distress calls came through, and no sign of the enemy—not that we’d be able to see them coming.”

“Perfect.” Lightning said, crossing his arms and grinning. Rose stood at the circular table, using the charts to be Simon’s eyes and lead them through the dense fog.

“Lightning, you know we’re cutting it really close to Murk Raider territory,” Rose pointed out. Edison, who had been tinkering with his newest scanning device, dropped his screwdriver. Lightning didn’t think his eyes could possibly get larger behind his magnified glasses.

“Can we not?” Edison said, scrambling to pick up his screwdriver.

“They can’t be as bad as everyone says,” Mick scoffed. Simon fought the urge to roll his eyes. Sometimes, it was hard for him to remember that Mick was still a rookie.

“They are,” Edison snapped.

“What Ed means is that they’re less…respectful than Cyclonians,” Conall explained.

“And less hygienic than Wallops,” Simon added.

“How would you know? You’ve never even met a wallop,” Edison said.

“Uh, yeah, we all did,” Simon corrected. “Well, you, me, and Conall. Remember that one time when we went with the Red Eagles to discuss a border treaty with Wallopia?”

“Yeah; they weren’t the best smelling creatures on Atmos,” Conall said, making a face.

“We’re close,” Rose cut in. Everyone turned their attention out the windows. Simon slowed the _Condor_ down as they cut through large rock spikes that jutted into the sky around them like thin mountains.

“Close to Cyclonian territory, or close to the base?” Lightning asked.

“We should be crossing the border right about…now,” Simon said.

“He’s right; we’re in,” Rose added.

“I never expected enemy territory to look so…barren,” Mick said, pressing her hands against the glass. The fog had thinned a little, and all the team could see were more rocks and small, rocky terras.

“It’s just the edges,” Simon explained. “Don’t be fooled. I’ve heard Terra Cyclonia has silver-plated doors.”

“Over there,” Lightning said, pointing to a terra with a small structure like a lookout tower on top.

“That’s gotta be it,” Simon said, pulling the _Condor_ into hovering speed behind a rock formation.

“We all know what to do,” Lightning said. He led Conall and Mick to the hangar bay. The three of them mounted their skimmers and took off down the runway.

“Remember to stay low,” Lightning said. “Their radar probably picks up skimmers, but only at certain distances.”

“I can’t wait to see what this baby will do,” Conall said, tossing a green crystal into the air and catching it in his hand.

“Careful,” Mick said. “Remember what Edison said—it’s super unstable.” The three flew below the cloud layer towards the Cyclonian base. Lightning couldn’t tell if any Cyclonians were there, but there weren’t any in the sky, which was a good sign. They would be in and out in minutes, and the enemy wouldn’t have a clue.

When the team reached the base of the terra, they started to circle it.

“What exactly are we looking for?” Mick asked.

“A weak spot,” Lightning explained. “The place where it’ll do the most damage.”

“What does it look like?”

“Most terras have caves beneath the surface. We just have to find one that goes deep enough.”

“There’s one,” Mick said, pointing to a dark crevice in the rocky side of the terra.

“Let’s hope your newest toy lives up to its name,” Conall said as he shouldered a massive bazooka. He loaded the unstable crystal into the chamber and cocked the weapon.

“I called it _The Destroyer_ ,” Mick muttered to Lightning. He only grinned for a second, before a red blast shot past his face.

“We’ve got company!” he said, unsheathing his sword. A squad of six talons dove right for the three Storm Hawks. They scattered in different directions. Lightning zoomed around the side of the terra. A red blast hit the rocks, spraying dust behind him. He tried to aim for a talon, but the skimmer disappeared behind the other side of the terra. He chased after the talon.

“Don’t you dare lose that fucking crystal!” Mick’s voice said through his radio.

“Hey; don’t worry; I got this,” Conall said with a grunt. Lightning guessed he was defending himself against a talon. He finally spotted the talon that was chasing him, now accompanied by two others. Lightning shot up the side of the terra, the bottom of his skimmer so close to the side it was practically scraping along the rocks. The talons followed in a line, exactly how Lightning planned.

“Perfect,” he said, then leapt from the seat of his skimmer. He fell head-first towards the talons, his sword stretched out towards them. As he fell past the skimmers, his sword sliced through the wings, cutting all three skimmers to pieces. Lightning then deployed his parachute, and by tugging on the ropes, angled himself towards his skimmer as it fell from the sky. He jumped into the seat, released his parachute straps, and started up his skimmer again. When he was back to a safe altitude, he went off to find the rest of his squadron. Only two talons remained, and his teammates were fighting them. He fired a blast from his sword at the talon fighting Conall. When the blue blast hit the back of the skimmer, the talon turned his attention away from Conall. The sharp-shooter used this to his advantage and shot an arrow directly into the skimmer’s motor. The talon started to fall from the sky.

“Conall, it’s time for things to go _boom_!” Lightning shouted. Conall shouldered _The Destroyer_ and fired at the crevice in the rocks. When the crystal made contact with rock, the entire terra rumbled, as if an earthquake was taking over. The Storm Hawks watched from a distance as the terra came crumbling down, disappearing underneath the clouds as a pile of falling rocks and dust.

“Well, that was easy,” Conall said.

“Where did that other talon go?” Lightning asked.

“He ran off,” Mick explained, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

“He’ll tell them we were here,” Lightning said. “We need to get out of here.” Mick threw her head back and let out a hearty laugh.

“Of course they’ll know we were here. Their watchtower is a pile of rubble!”

***

“What a foolish, brash, irresponsible thing to do!” the lead councilmen’s voice boomed a day later. The Storm Hawks assembled on the red carpet in front of the councilmen’s podium. “We’ve respected our border treaties with Cyclonia for nearly fifty years, and you’ve broken them!”

“With all due respect, Councilmen, Cyclonia has been breaking those treaties for years,” Lightning said.

“They may not keep their promises, but the Free Atmos does,” a councilman said.

“This will only encourage Cyclonia to act more aggressively,” a third councilman added.

“No; it won’t,” Lightning argued. “They already tried to attack our terra, but didn’t realize we were there. They won’t try anything that foolish in the near future, because they don’t want to risk losing more talons.”

“It doesn’t matter!” The lead councilman shouted. Edison and Rose flinched at the volume of his voice. “You broke the border treaty with Cyclonia and caused havoc in their territory. That is against the law.”

“You can’t lock us up for trying to prevent an invasion,” Lightning said, wearing his most intense glare. “You don’t see what we see out there, because you’re inside these four walls. Cyclonia is closing in on the Free Atmos. They’ve tried to take Gale, and they’ve only been one terra away from Atmosia. They have more firepower and resources than we could ever imagine. One little watchtower doesn’t seem like much, but it will loosen up their hold on the area, making it easier for Skyknights to infiltrate—“

“We are not invading Cyclonia.”

“Not yet, but if a few Skyknights came together—“

“You are overstepping your boundary again, Storm Hawk,” the lead councilman warned. “I think it’s best you and your squadron leave now before I suspend your registration.”

“He can’t really do that, can he?” Rose whispered to Simon, who shrugged. Lightning let out a heavy breath, then turned on his heel to leave. He only took three steps before he stopped and turned around again.

“So, this means we aren’t getting reprimanded for destroying the watchtower?” he asked. The three councilmen turned their backs to the Storm Hawks. Lightning watched them mumble to each other with bowed heads. After about a minute, the councilmen turned around again and the lead councilmen spoke.

“The council will mandate a warning on the Storm Hawks squadron.” The lead councilmen stared directly at Lightning and added, “One more impetuous mistake, and you can say goodbye to your Skyknightship.”


	27. A New Generation Pt 4

Despite the Council’s warnings, the Storm Hawks raided three more watchtowers along the border. They seized crystals and weapons, and turned them in to the Council. The Red Eagles and the Interceptors vouched for the Storm Hawks when the Council tried to suspend them. They argued that the squadron was gathering intelligence to help the resistance. Supplies were running low, and the Free Atmos needed all it could get. Fortunately, for Atmosia, Cyclonian watchtowers were chock full of rations and energy crystals. Fortunately, for the Storm Hawks, the Council trusted the Red Eagles and the Interceptors more.

***

A year after the Storm Hawks started their raids, Lightning, Edison, and the Interceptor Skyknight, Clove, sat on their parked skyrides, surveying a massive canyon on an uninhabited terra. The terra sat right on the border with Cyclonia, but the Skyknights never paid much attention to it in the past. The Interceptors, however, reported seeing Cyclonian activity, and called in the Atmos’ resident experts on Cyclonian infiltration.

“You'r sure there’s no one here?” Lightning asked Clove. The Interceptor Skyknight lowered her peepers and nodded.

“Pepper and Skye have been scouting for weeks; they know the Cyclonians’ schedule by heart. We have about forty-five more minutes before the cargo ships arrive.”

“Just enough time to find a souvenir for the Council,” Lightning said. He wasn’t the biggest fan of the Skyknight Council these days, especially since they threatened his credibility so much, so he tried to bring solid proof of Cyclonian activity whenever his team crossed the border. Most of the time, he brought shipments of crystals, food rations, and, if he was lucky—maps with markings, indicating areas the Cyclonians were interested in. It was his way of proving to the Council that their idea of playing it safe by staying in Free Territory was wrong. The Skyknights needed to start fighting back. So far, only the Red Eagles and the Interceptors had joined the Storm Hawks’ resistance.

Lightning, Clove, and Edison started walking across the rocky terrain. They headed uphill, climbing up boulders and jumping from one ledge to another. By the time they reached the plateau, they were all breathing heavily.

“I don’t see why we couldn’t have landed here,” Edison said, flopping down on his knees. He carried a knapsack on his back, full of his crystal equipment. If the Cyclonians were mining crystals, he wanted plenty of samples to analyze.

“It’s better to keep the skyrides hidden in case the Cyclonians do show up,” Clove explained. She offered a hand to help Edison back to his feet. “Besides, we could use some fresh air and a hike.” Ahead of them, plateaus just like the one they’d climbed circled around a shallow valley. Down below, Cyclonian digging cranes sat parked in various locations, looking like long-necked, sleeping monsters. Lightning used his peepers to scan the area for any Cyclonians.

“All clear,” he said. The team made the steep ascent into the valley, careful not to slip on any rocks. When they reached the bottom, Edison forgot all about being fatigued, and made a beeline for the nearest crater. The hole was about six feet deep and ten feet wide. Edison hopped right in and took off his knapsack. He rummaged around until he found a tool with a small screen attached to a handle. Edison switched on his machine and swept across the edges of the crater, as if he was using a metal detector to find coins. Suddenly, the screen on Edison’s tool started blinking.

“Ah!” he said. “Got something.” He searched his pack again, and pulled out a small pickaxe. He started chipping away at the walls of the crater, until a red, glowing piece of crystal emerged. He broke off a piece with his axe and held it up for Clove and Lightning to see. The two Skyknights squatted at the edge of the crater to get a better look.

“What is it?” Lightning asked.

“By the color, I’d say that’s a firebolt,” Clove said.

“Oh, I wish. I’ve been trying to get my hands on another firebolt for years,” Edison added. “No; this is just a basic scorcher crystal; it emits energy at extremely-high temperatures.”

“Does that mean this whole terra is full of scorcher crystals?” Lightning asked.

“If that’s the case, there’s enough crystals here to power more than a Cyclonian army,” Edison said. He sounded way too excited to say that, but Lightning figured he was just excited to be surrounded by so many crystals.

“My guess is these will become weapons-grade crystals. We have to tell the Council to get a squad out here,” Clove said.

“Let’s not involve the Council in this,” Lighting said. “They take too long to respond to situations. What we should do is devise a plan to take over the terra and claim it before the Cyclonians finish mining.”

“That’s not reasonable. The terra sits right on the border. It would take at least a day to get enough resistance forces out here to claim it. Then, we’d have to continue to protect it, because you know Cyclonia would try to take it back,” Clove argued. “It’ll be like Gale all over again.” Lightning hesitated, contemplating the Skyknight’s words.

“We should at least take some crystals back to the Council,” Edison said. “They can let everyone know that the Cyclonians are looking for scorcher crystals. Squadrons can do what they want with that information…maybe even come nab some for themselves.” He grinned and raised an eyebrow, which disappeared behind the silver frame of his glasses.

“Good idea,” Clove said. Lightning and Clove joined Edison in the crater and started helping him chip away pieces of crystal. They filled a crate the Cyclonians left behind, and crawled back out of the crater.

“I’d call that proof,” Lightning said, admiring the crate of bright red crystals.

“I’d call it mine,” a raspy voice said. The three Atmosians turned to see a band of Raptors standing nearby. Their scaly skin looked leathery and dry in the bright sun. They bore their sharp fangs and stared at Clove, Lightning, and Edison through yellow eyes.

Lightning felt his heart jump into his throat, but he calmed himself down. Since his first encounter with the Raptors, he’d fought them multiple other times, and gotten over his fear. Now, they were nothing more than Cyclonia’s cronies, the group Master Cyclonis sent in to do the dirty work.

“What are you gonna do—radio the Commander?” Lightning asked. “Go ahead. Bring him here.” The Raptors didn’t seem intimidated my Lightning’s speech. Instead, the Raptor who spoke before took a step forward. Lightning recalled his name—Repton.

“The Commander doesssn’t need to know about thesssse,” Repton hissed. Edison tightened his grip on the crate handle.

“Go find your own crystals,” he said. “There are plenty in this terra.” Repton snarled at Edison, who jumped.

“Why would I do that when you’ve already pulled them out of the ground for me?” Repton asked. Lightning moved to unsheathe his sword. As soon as he pulled it off his back, Repton launched his golden boomerang at the Atmosians. The humans ducked for cover as the boomerang zoomed over their heads. Then, they went to work. Lightning charged, ready to fight up close with his glowing blue sword. Clove unleashed a whip that glowed purple and set off zaps of crystal energy, like lightning. Edison held his crystal spear with both hands, stepping in front of the crate of crystals to protect it.

There were four raptors against three humans. Lightning went straight for Repton, who blocked the Skyknight’s sword with his boomerang. Clove fought two raptors at the same time, both of them lacking the same stockiness as Repton, but still quick on their feet. They fought with crystal staves topped with jagged, glowing spikes. The fourth raptor went after Edison, trying and failing to lead the crystal mage away from his precious crate of crystals. Edison stayed close to the crate, using his crystal staff to defend himself.

One of the raptors attacking Clove broke away and made a run for the crate. Lightning saw the movement out the corner of his eye, but his warning came too late.

“Ed—the crystals!” he called out as he blocked another hit from Repton. By the time Edison turned his head, the raptor was already slinking away with the crate. Lighting shoved Repton away and tried to run, but the massive reptile tripped the Skyknight with his tail. The last two raptors abandoned their human foes and ran off for their skimmers. Clove started after them, but they were already airborne and zooming away by the time she reached the place where the raptor’s skyrides were previously parked. Edison helped Lightning back to his feet.

“Let them have it,” Edison said. “We can get some more of our own.”

“There’s not…enough…time,” Clove said as she rushed over. Her breathing came fast after running so quickly. “The Cyclonians will be here soon. We need to leave and get to a safe distance before they spot us.”

The three Atmosians climbed their way back to their skyrides. Clove waved goodbye and flew east, towards her squadron’s gold airship. Just a to the west, the _Condor_ idled in the air. Edison and Lightning flew into the hangar bay, where Conall and Rose were waiting for them.

“What did you see?” Rose asked, barely giving Lightning a chance to get off of his skyride.

“Cyclonians are mining scorcher crystals,” he explained. He started wheeling his skimmer back to its spot.

“We would have brought some, but the Raptors stole our crate,” Edison added.

“Of course Cyclonis would send those damn lizards to do her bidding,” Conall said, shaking his head. Rose took the liberty to brush the dirt off Lightning’s chest.

“It’s fine; we’ll get it back,” Lightning said, pushing Rose’s hand away.

“What?” All three squadron members blurted out the word simultaneously.

“They stole our evidence. Those crystals were meant for the Free Atmos,” Lightning explained. He started for the main deck with Conall, Edison, and Rose on his heels.

“Lightning, the energy cannons on Bogaton are the most accurate array of defense systems in the entire Atmos,” Edison said as he adjusted his glasses.

“Your point?”

“It's dangerous,” Rose added, trying to sound as serious as she could.

“Your point?”

No one responded. They realized there was no way to win this battle with their Skyknight. They followed him to the main deck, where Simon and Mick turned at the sound of feet.

“Simon, set course for Bogaton,” Lightning said. Simon started to fly the ship, then stopped abruptly and stared at Lightning with a confused expression.

“Where!?”


	28. A New Generation Pt 5

Terra Bogaton sat in the Southwest quadrant, close to the Cyclonian border. Cyclonia hadn’t taken over the territory yet, but the Raptors owed Master Cyclonis a never-ending chain of favors. They were allies, and the Raptors still had the dignity of controlling their own terra. Repton and his crew were almost to their safe landing zone when they heard a low horn blow behind them. Off in the distance, the _Condor_ cut through the clouds.

“They’ll never make it past the energy cannonssss,” Repton said to himself. He led his team to their landing space. Meanwhile, on the _Condor_ , Lighting’s team assembled in the hangar bay.

“The energy cannons are sensitive, but as long as we’re fast, we can move in quick,” Lightning said. “Just remember to stay low.” He launched his skimmer off the runway. Rose, Mick, and Conall followed, weapons ready for battle.

Lightning saw the first round of energy cannons appear over the tree canopy. He gripped his skimmer controls tightly, ready to make a fast turn. The cannons shot off, but Lightning was able to maneuver his skimmer out of the way. A blue blast fired at one of the cannons, sending pieces of cannon flying through the air.

“Everyone okay?” he asked over his shoulder. Conall reloaded his crossbow and gave Lightning a thumbs-up.

“I see them!” Mick said, pointing down at the terra. Four raptors rode their skimmers across the rocky landscape below. Lightning only had seconds to locate them before more energy cannons popped out of the trees.

“Everyone, dive!” he said. The group launched into a nosedive, nearly missing blasts from the cannons as they shot past them. Underneath the trees, the group transformed their skimmers into bike mode and chased after the raptors.

“Careful; they probably have some kind of ground defense, too,” Conall warned. He aimed his crossbow at the pack of raptors ahead, but they split off into different directions.

“Repton’s all yours,” Mick said, saluting Lightning before chasing after one of the raptors. Lightning kept his focus on Repton’s skimmer, struggling to keep a tight grip on his controls as he raced across the rocky ground. He watched Repton glance over his shoulder before swinging his arm around to release his glowing boomerang. The golden weapon shot right for Lightning’s head, but he ducked out of the way, grateful for his quick reflexes. Repton’s boomerang swung around again. The raptor caught it one-handed before veering off to the right. Lightning followed, but it was harder for him to maintain his speed. The trees were thicker, and he spent more time dodging trunks than trying to catch Repton. He could see the crate of crystals strapped to the back of Repton’s skimmer. He just had to get close enough to cut it loose; then, he could retrieve it from the ground and run away.

Luckily for the Skyknight, he wouldn’t have to try to catch up to the raptor. A long, silver pole shot from the left, spearing the rim of Repton’s rear tire and sending the skimmer teetering over. Repton bailed and the crate crashed to the ground, spilling red crystals all over the dirt. Mick appeared from the left on her skimmer.

“Nice shot,” Lightning said. Mick shrugged her shoulders.

“I try my best.” She retrieved her staff and dismounted to start collecting crystals. Lightning turned his attention to Repton, who was already back on his feet.

“I have a feeling this isn’t over yet,” Lightning said, spinning his sword in his grip. Repton snarled and lashed out with his boomerang, almost knocking Lightning off of his skimmer. The Skyknight parried with his sword, using his skimmer as extra support. When Repton pulled away, Lightning took the opportunity to jump off of his skimmer and attack. He fought against Repton, deflecting hits from his boomerang, while trying to disarm the raptor. Repton, however, was stronger than Lightning, and knocked him to the ground with one swipe of his tail. Mick came to Lighting’s rescue, using her staff to block Repton’s attacks to give Lightning time to regain his footing. Two humans would be an unfair fight for Repton, but he refused to let the humans believe it. He was determined to destroy them on his home terra.

Unfortunately for Repton, today was not a victorious day. He raised his boomerang into the air, but a blue blast knocked it out of his hand. Conall appeared nearby on his skimmer, crossbow aimed at Repton.

“This is the part where you give up,” Conall said. Repton surveyed his enemies one by one.

“Who sssaid anything about giving up?” He hissed. The three Storm Hawks shared a confused glance, but the humans’ hesitation was all the time Repton needed. He dashed away from them on all fours, leaping across the ground.

“Don’t let him get away!” Lightning called out. He, Mick, and Conall chased after Repton. The raptor didn’t get very far before he launched himself onto a tree and started jumping from the trees. The humans, however, pursued him on foot, which turned out to be a disadvantage for them. The raptors had laid out traps along the ground, and after just a few steps, all three humans found themselves ensnared in thick nets, dangling a few feet off of the ground.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Mick shouted. She writhed around in the netting, trying to break free. Lightning stared at his sword, which now lay on the ground too far out of reach. Repton returned to the ground and stalked over to the captured humans. He picked up Lightning’s sword and examined it. Then, he sneered at the humans.

“I wasn’t expecting to make anything special for dinner tonight, but it looks like I just caught a feast.”

***

Repton recruited some raptors to help him carry the trapped humans back to their main compound. They tied the netting to a pole, which they carried on their shoulders. During the journey, Lightning could only think of one thing: Rose. He wondered what had happened to her. He feared that she, too, had been captured, or worse—killed.

“She’ll be alright,” Mick said, noticing Lightning’s stone-cold expression.

“Yeah, but what about us?” Conall asked.

***

Inside the compound, the raptors released the humans from the nets and chained them to columns. Lightning noted the wall of shields and weapons on the right of the room. Most of them were from squadrons he had heard of before, but never met. He didn’t need to guess to know what happened to them.

Rose was nowhere in sight. The Skyknight tried to avoid thinking about the worst outcome. He had given up trying to break free of the chains, and focused instead on figuring out the best way to avoid getting eaten. His childhood nightmare was coming alive, but he wasn’t about to let his fear paralyze him. He had to figure out a way to break free, rescue his friends, and find Rose.

Repton walked in front of the Storm Hawks, surveying them as if he was a sergeant training new recruits for his army. He smiled, baring his jagged, yellow teeth. Lightning saw Mick squinting at Repton as he walked past her, rearing back as if she was about to spit on him. On the other side of her, Conall kept his face to the floor, careful not to make eye contact.

“Who will it be firsssst?” Repton hissed. He stopped in front of Conall. “You’ve got a lot of meat; you’ll be perfect.” Conall whipped his head up and glared at Repton, but the gesture didn’t phase the raptor. Instead, Repton moved in front of Mick, who finally spat at his feet. “Between the other two, we may not even need to cook you, but I’ll keep you around for seconds.” Finally, he stood in front of Lightning. He hesitated to speak, expecting some kind of scared reaction from Lightning, but the Skyknight only glared back at him. “Skyknight,” he said. “I planned you as the main coursssse yearssss ago. Now that you’ve had time to ripen, I won’t even have to ssseason you.”

"Eat shit, Repton," Lighting said in a steady voice, never taking his eyes off the raptor's yellow eyes.

Repton pulled his boomerang out and switched it on so it glowed yellow and hummed with crystal energy. He held the blade against Lightning’s neck. Lightning felt the scorching heat from the crystal against his skin. He couldn’t move his head away from the blade, so he tried his best not to flinch. If he was going to die today, he wanted it to be quick, not as painful as burning to death. His heart was racing and his skin on his neck was starting to burn. There was nothing he could do. He wished he'd said something more clever.

“Want to insult me one more time before I skin you alive?” Repton asked.

“Nope,” a new voice said. Repton turned at the sound of the voice behind him, but was met with a boot in his face. The massive raptor collapsed to his side, dropping his boomerang to the floor in a loud, metallic clatter. His attacker kicked the boomerang across the floor and readjusted her sword in her hand, ready to knock Repton to the ground again.

“Rose!” Lightning called out, relieved to see her alive. Rose only had seconds to flash Lightning a smile before Repton regained his footing and lunged at her. She darted out of the way, careful to avoid Repton’s tail as it swung around for the second blow. After the raptor grabbed his weapon, he parried against Rose. Lightning watched the battle with hope, praising Rose for her steady footwork. She was always better at staying more balanced than he was. While Repton was definitely stronger, Rose was faster, and could block his attacks easily. She could tire him out, and then finish him.

Lightning, Mick, and Conall cheered Rose on as she fought against Repton. At one point, Repton threw Rose across the room, and she landed against the wall of shields. Her sword skirted across the floor, and one of the shields fell to the ground next to her. Repton charged again, wearing a murderous smirk, but Rose was ready. She picked up the shield and swung it as if she was holding a baseball bat. The shield hit Repton in the side of his head, throwing him to the side of the room. He landed in the corner with limp limbs and his mouth hanging open, revealing pointed teeth. Rose dropped the shield and picked up her sword, never taking her eyes off of Repton. When she was sure he was really knocked out, she set to work freeing her teammates.

“Man, am I glad to see you,” Lightning said, pulling Rose closer by her waist.

“How did you get away from the other raptors?” Mick asked. Rose smiled like she knew a secret she could finally reveal to everyone.

“I used an oblivion crystal to make them forget I was there,” she explained. “Then, I just snuck through the compound and followed the sound of your voices. It was easy.”

“Yeah, you definitely made it look easy,” Conall added.


	29. A New Generation Pt 6

Rose revealed that she found the scattered scorcher crystals near her teammates' abandoned skyrides, which prompted her to go looking for her team. After Lightning, Mick, and Conall got their weapons and skyrides back, the team retreated with the crate of stolen crystals. Their victory would only be short-lived, however, because someone was waiting for them right above Bogaton.

“Oh, come on!” Mick said, throwing up her hands in disbelief. She spewed some curses as a group of about twenty red skimmers hovered in the path between the group and the _Condor_.

“They just can’t cut us a fucking break, can they?” Lightning asked. He unsheathed his sword and said, “Mick—find out the _Condor’s_ situation. Rose—don’t let go of those crystals, no matter what. And Conall—let’s kick some Cyclonian tail.” The group readied their weapons and charged at the talons. Within seconds, the sky was filled with red and blue blasts and the echoing sound of skimmers soaring through the sky. Lightning chased after a talon, careful to avoid blasts from the others. He raised his sword and cut through a talon’s wings, sending the broken skimmer plummeting to the Wastelands.

“This is Simon; backup is on its way.” Lightning heard the helmsman’s voice come through his radio speaker. With the _Condor’s_ help, they would take down the talons and be at Atmosia by morning tomorrow. Lightning grinned as he took down another talon. It was almost too easy.

“You have something that belongs to me.” Lightning turned at the sound of the voice behind him. He saw the Commander hovering a few feet behind him, staff aimed at his head.

“Dignity? That sure as hell isn't yours,” Lightning said. He charged at the Commander, who blocked Lightning’s sword with his staff. The two battled in the air, sword against staff, both trying to knock the other off their skyrides.

“I know the Skyknights are desperate, but I never thought they’d stoop so low as to steal from others,” the Commander said. “I thought that went against their code.”

“Finders keepers,” Lightning said with a shrug. The Commander took a swipe at him, but he maneuvered out of the way.

“Lightning, we’ve got a problem,” Conall’s voice said through the radio. “The raptors are back.” Lightning glanced over at the nearby terra. A group of raptors flew closer on their bone-trimmed skimmers. Lightning wondered how long it would take his team to escape from both the Cyclonians and the raptors. Things were in the Storm Hawk’s favor, however, because Simon arrived with the _Condor_. With the added artillery, the airspace around Bogaton erupted into a full-scale battle.

The two young leaders continued to spar off against one another. They were equally matched in strength and agility, and their battle came to a stalemate, as usual. Since the Battle for Gale, the Commander focused most of his time on training for battle and developing new tactics to use. Cyclonia had ruled over most of the Atmos for centuries, and he wasn’t about to lose it all because of one redheaded Skyknight. He was determined to continue to uphold Cyclonia’s glory, with his ultimate goal of recapturing Atmosia after three hundred years of freedom.

Lightning, on the other hand, wasn’t about to let the Cyclonians slip away from him again. He’d spent too much of his time as a Skyknight chasing after talons, and he was ready to finally bring them down. He hoped that news of the crystal mines would mobilize other squadrons, but he needed physical proof to inspire them. He refused to let the Commander take that away from him.

“You’ve really outdone yourself this time,” the Commander said as he circled around for another attack. “Invading other terras and picking fights, all for a useless box of crystals.”

“They must not be as useless as—” The Commander tried to shoot a blast from his staff at Lightning, but the Skyknight deflected it with his shield. The two were now flying close to the edge of terra Bogaton. Only a few more feet, and they’d be in range of the energy cannons. Neither leader noticed how close they were to getting shot out of the sky.

The Commander came after Lightning again. This time, Lightning steered his skimmer into a nosedive to avoid the blast. It was then that he finally noticed he was in range of the deadly weapons. The Commander chased right after him, and the two shot towards the Wastelands.

“Oh, this is gonna be fun,” Lightning said to himself. He pulled up on his controls again. He knew exactly what he needed to do, even if he wasn’t sure if he could actually pull it off. The Commander followed him, just as Lightning planned. He was sure the Commander knew about Bogaton’s energy cannons, but could _he_ avoid them?

Lightning saw the first cannon appear above the tree canopy and darted sideways. The blast barely missed his wing, but Lightning didn’t have any time to continue on his course, because more cannons started firing. He couldn’t turn to see where the Commander was; he was too preoccupied with all the cannons. He steered for the edge of the terra, weaving back and forth to avoid getting blasted.

As soon as he was clear of the terra, he risked a glance over his shoulder. The Commander had his staff aimed at Lightning. Before he could shoot at him, an energy cannon rose from a tree on the edge of the terra and fired a blast at the Commander’s skimmer. Lightning watched the skyride split into pieces, and the Commander drop through the sky. He couldn’t help but laugh at the Commander’s stupidity; he may have actually defeated the Storm Hawks if he’d just waited until he was clear of Bogaton’s trees. Lightning watched the Commander’s parachute disappear beneath the lower cloud layers. In a few minutes, he’d be stuck in the Wastelands as prey for whatever hungry creatures came across him. Lightning laughed again at the thought of the Commander running for his life from a giant Wasteland snake. He made a mental note to tell the Council to use the Wastelands as a prison for Cyclonians. They would decline, of course, but it would still be funny to see their reactions.

Lightning helped his squadron fend off the raptors and remaining talons. Back on the ship, the group celebrated their victory on the main deck as they headed to Atmosia.

“That was the most dangerous, stupidest, craziest mission we’ve done yet,” Simon said, grinning so wide, it looked like his cheeks disappeared.

“And it worked!” Edison added, smiling just as big as the helmsman. “I can’t believe it worked.”

“Nice to know you have so much faith in us, Ed,” Lightning said, cuffing the crystal mage’s shoulder and making him flinch.

“Did you see Mick take down two raptors at once?” Conall said, throwing his arms up in the air. He proceeded to mimic Mick’s fighting technique. Edison and Lightning joined in as the two raptors, falling to the ground as Conall pretended to stab them at the same time. The rest of the group laughed at the poorly-interpreted reenactment.

“Just wait ‘til the Council sees theses babies,” Mick said, pulling a crystal out of the crate on the table. She examined in closely, like a farmer examining her prized crop. “If a whole terra of weapons-grade crystals doesn’t get those squadrons moving, I don’t know what will.” Lightning stood and brushed invisible dirt off of his pants.

“If the other terras rise up with us, Cyclonia won’t stand a chance,” he said. “We’ll finally be free for good.”

***

Two days after raiding Bogaton and taking back their stolen crystals, the Storm Hawks found themselves under the scrutiny of the Council once again. Lightning had not felt so much hostility in a room since he first told his father he wanted to be a Skyknight. Claudius' outbursts of rage hardly compared to the dirty looks half of the people in the room were shooting in his direction.

“How dare you violate the ancient rules of the code,” Headley said with a snarl, tilting his chin up mid-sentence. 

“Hate to break it to you, but the Rex Guardians are the only ones with a code anymore,” Conall replied. Headley's face, which started to fade pink while he was speaking, now turned a violent shade of red. 

“The Guardians' code is based on the rules of the Council,” Headley said. "Perhaps you've forgotten about _honor_ on your little rebellious streak.”

“Rebellion is what we do!” Lightning shouted. He took a few steps towards the Rex Guardian. “Maybe _you’ve_ forgotten what it means to be a Skyknight.”

“Order!” the head Councilman called out, banging a gavel on the podium.

"Rebellion gave us a Free Atmos all those centuries ago," Xander interjected. Headley struggled coming up with a proper response, and the lead Councilman took the opportunity to speak. 

"May I remind everyone that the Storm Hawks invaded an inhabited terra, and that violates our treaty.”

"We didn't invade anywhere. The Raptors stole from us," Lightning said. “We were just taking back what was ours.” This brought chatter to the room. The head Councilman called for order again, but before he could say anything, Edison popped open the wooden crate sitting at his feet. The lid revealed a mound of red, glowing crystals. Even more voices rose throughout the room. Lightning didn’t wait for the speaking to die down before he continued. "Cyclonia is mining Scorcher crystals on Rubis." He made eye contact with the head Councilman and added, “Last time I checked, Rubis is in Free Territory." He continued to stare at the Councilman, as if daring him to try to come up with a punishment. The Councilman seemed to have trouble finding words. Lightning closed the crate and stood on top of it, turning around to face the crowd. "As of right now, we have two options. We can continue to let Cyclonia mine crystals in our territory and take all our resources, or, we can protect what's rightfully ours." Chatter erupted again.

“You are out of line, Skyknight,” the Councilman warned, banging his gavel again.

“Am I?” Lightning challenged. He hopped down from the box and approached the podium. “Or am I just doing your job better than you?”

“ _Lighting_ ,” Rose scolded.

“He’s got a point, eh,” an Absolute Zero mumbled.

“When we made an oath to protect Atmos, we made an oath to protect _all_ of Atmos,” Lightning said. He turned and jumped up on the box of crystals again and faced the crowd. “There’s no use in hiding behind borders at our home terras and waiting for a Cyclonian attack to come shake us to our senses. We have to cut off the problem at the source, starting with its materials.”

“Stand down, Skyknight,” the Councilman ordered. Lightning didn’t move from his crate.

“I stand by my oath,” Lightning said. “It’s time for the rest of you to decide if you really meant what you said.” The room fell silent again, and Lightning hopped down from the crate. Before anyone could respond, he was out the door.

"Were we supposed to follow him?" Edison asked.


End file.
